Eye Makeup Archives - Page 6 of 14 - The Beauty Look Book

Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Filter Collection Bigger Brighter Eyes

April 28, 2018

Charlotte Tilbury has a new Beauty Filter Collection with her Bigger Brighter Eyes launch. In this collection she has two new limited-edition eyeshadow palettes called Exaggereyes and Transformeyes ($53 each for 5.2 g/0.18 oz) and a new mascara called Legendary Lashes Volume 2 in Black Vinyl ($32 for 8 ml/0.27 fl oz). The items launched early online at Charlotte Tilbury but are now available at Nordstrom and Bergdorf Goodman. I ordered everything sight unseen and when I opened the boxes my heart sank a little. Even though I’m a neutral shadow lover, the colors looked very boring and fairly basic to me, but I’m happy to report that upon swatching and testing – the palettes turned out to be a lot prettier on the eyes than I had anticipated!

The two eyeshadow quads are part of her Beauty Filters collection because the palettes have been designed to create the illusion of wider and brighter looking eyes. I was skeptical that the shades could be that good but they do just that. At first glance the colors look really dupeable. I think they can be, but the undertone, texture and pigment have the perfect amount of neutral + warmth to naturally enhance the eyes. It’s rare that a quad has all colors covered for me – I usually need to add at least one shade to warm up the look or add depth. These do everything I need for an eye look with the exception of liner + mascara.

Exaggereyes is the more neutral rose gold option. It swatched a lot warmer than I thought it would based on what I saw in the pan. It’s warm but not too warm. Colors include a pale warm champagne, shimmering tan rose, sheer sparkling silver mauve and warm tan rose brown.

Transformeyes has a warm gold shimmer, warm copper, matte warm red brown and matte deep brown. I thought this would be way too warm for my complexion but it’s a lot more wearable than it looks in the pan.

Swatches:

Eye look with the Exaggereyes Palette. Also wearing:

NARS All Day Luminous Foundation in Stromboli + Barcelona mixed
MAC Next to Nothing Pressed Powder in Medium Plus (review here)
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Incandescent Electra (review here)
Chanel Rouge Coco Lip Blush in Tender Rose (all shades here)

A few sets of swatch comparisons, first to Tom Ford Eyeshadow Quads in Seductive Rose, Orchid Haze and Honeymoon:

I didn’t have time to photograph all the palettes below but did do some more swatching to compare. Transformeyes also next to Urban Decay Naked Petite Heat Eyeshadow Palette (review here), Pat McGrath Bronze Ambition (also reviewed here):

Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Glow Palette (eyes, look on the face here) vs. Charlotte Tilbury The Dolce Vita vs. a custom made Anastasia Beverly Hills Eyeshadow Quad with Sateen, Amber, Golden Copper and Chocolate:

The Legendary Lashes Volume 2 is the best mascara she has launched to date. I’ve liked both of her formulas for the color, but they didn’t hold the curl. This one thickens and volumizes and holds the curl a little bit better. It’s still not as good as some others like Stila Huge Lash, L’Oreal Lash Paradise, Tom Ford Waterproof Extreme or Chantecaille’s Faux Cils but I think it’s good because it didn’t smudge or flake on me.

Overall lots of love. Lasting power is excellent, pigment is smooth and easy to build, colors are perfect for everyday wear. They’re also versatile enough to wear with any lip/cheek combination! You may want to shop your stash if you already own a lot of neutrals. The colors are similar to other brands out there. Still I find them excellent just as they are. No tweaking required for me. I rarely do backups anymore, but both of these are so perfect for me I just ordered backups.

You can find the collection available now online at Charlotte Tilbury, Nordstrom and Bergdorf Goodman. Everything is limited-edition. There is also supposed to be a Part 2 of her Beauty Filters Collection focused on lips and cheeks coming out later in the spring. Will keep you posted as I find out more!

Are these on your radar? What’s your current go-to neutral everyday eyeshadow palette?

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Eye Makeup Marc Jacobs Beauty Natasha Denona Urban Decay

Warm Eyeshadow Palettes from Marc Jacobs, Urban Decay and Natasha Denona

March 30, 2018

Happy Friday! Quick roundup today of three warm-toned eyeshadow palettes that some of you have been curious about. I’m more of a neutral lover when it comes to shadows although I do love warm bronze and golds and soft peachy shades too. The warm eyeshadow trend has been super popular for a few years now and I’ve learned to embrace it. There was a day I though I’d never wear an orange or warm brown shadow but I’ve found with some layering they can make some really nice eye looks.

Today I have a review and swatches of three palettes including the Marc Jacobs Eye-Conic Palette in Scandalust, Urban Decay Naked Petite Heat and Natasha Denona Mini Sunset Palette. Also shown in top photo is a miniature Louis Vuitton perfume, Wayne Goss Brushes #7 and #4 from his Anniversary Set Volume 2, Chanel Rouge Coco Lip Blush in 410 Corail Naturel.

A quick look at them all in direct sunlight where you can see the shimmer a bit better:

Up first is the Marc Jacobs Eye-Conic Palette in Scandalust. I’ve had this one for a while since the new palettes launched. My go-to is still the neutral option Glambition (review and swatched here) for a perfect everyday kind of look. Scandalust is a lot warmer but still very wearable for me. I like to mix the shades from both palettes sometimes. Scandalust has ultra smooth rich pigment that feels like velvet. Pigment is really good and easy to layer.

Shades include from left to right:

Hot Pants is a soft shimmery cream
At the Office is a medium mauve-nude matte
Cause a Fuss is my kind of shimmering peach with champagne shimmer
That’s Why is a matte brown
They Call Her is a shimmering copper orange
Little Miss is a matte plum brown
Scandalous is a wine pink red matte

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Next is the Urban Decay Naked Petite Heat. I’ve always thought that the Urban Decay matte shadows in their Naked Basics and Naked2 Basics Palettes have been among the best. The Naked Petite Heat also has excellent texture and pigment although some of the shades aren’t quite as pigmented as the other two. The color payoff is still really really good with smooth application. Alone it’s a bit too warm for me but I like to mix in a little from Naked Basics to neutral things out a little. The soft mattes are perfect layering and blending shades for days where you feel your eye color might be too neutral or cool. The warmth adds depth and life to the look.

Shades include:

Inhale pale ivory shimmer
Vibrate light-medium beige
Hot Spell soft warm brown
Wild Thing matte orange
Heist matte warm brown
Strike deep cocoa matte

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Finally the Natasha Denona Mini Sunset Palette which is probably he cutest eyeshadow palette I have ever seen! It’s miniature size with tiny pans. This one has excellent color payoff on all the shades. It has a mix of mattes and shimmers with no glitters (yay!). It is very warm and alone too warm for me to wear. I do like it for layering with other palettes though. To some I know this may be too complicated but I find for the most part I’m layering shadows anyways so I don’t mind pulling from a couple palettes.

Colors from left to right:

175CM Guava is a matte soft brown
176M Apollo is a metallic deep red
177 CM Dirty Mars is a matte warm brown
178M Sun Beam is a metallic warm gold
179M Halo is a sparkling ivory champagne shimmer

Overall thoughts are that the quality, pigment, color payoff, blendability and lasting power on these palettes are all excellent. That being said, Scandalust is the only one I can wear on it’s own. The other two I need to layer with others but for me the Urban Decay Naked Petite Heat is just what I need to warm up an eye look.

In terms of comparisons to other warm-ish palettes, I find the NARSissist Wanted Eyeshadow Palette to be more wearable for me although it’s a different kind of warm. It’s got a warm rose vs a warm orange theme. The NARS NARsissist Loaded Eyeshadow Palette is the perfect warm neutral palette for me as it has a wide range and includes enough neutrals for me to layer with warm colors. I also find the Pat McGrath Eyeshadow Palette in Bronze Ambition to be more in the warm-neutral category which I really adore.

For those who want to know which eye brushes I like the best, a comprehensive roundup of my favorites in my Favorite Eye Makeup Brushes and Tools post.

You can find the three palettes out now at all counters and online.

Marc Jacobs available at Sephora, Neiman Marcus and Marc Jacobs Beauty.
Urban Decay available at Nordstrom, Sephora, Ulta Beauty and Urban Decay.
Natasha Denona available at Sephora.

The three palettes featured were press samples sent for review consideration. As always all opinions my own.

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Eye Makeup

The Natural Brow Part 1: Best Tinted Brow Gels

March 1, 2018

This two-part series has been months in the works. I initially drafted one roundup of my most-used brow products then all of a sudden more came on my radar and I decided to split this into two parts. I’m not an expert when it comes to brows, I actually often neglect them. The process of applying pencil or powder had been so intimidating to me for years! After reading through several comments and numerous reader e-mails I’ve been thrilled to find many of you are just like me. One of things I love most about this blog is finding other beauty lovers who get me, you too want a groomed but natural looking brow.

The three biggest challenges I’ve had with brow products include: my brow shape, finding a good color and also finding a formula that isn’t too dramatic. At first glance it looks like I have black hair but also woven in is a natural red and brown undertone. Traditional black or deep browns often either look to harsh or too red. Also my brow shape is just odd. The hairs aren’t really evenly distributed and the lengths are different. My husband has amazing brows and lashes, it kills me that he doesn’t even care about them and I wish I had ones like he did, lol!

Two brow products changed my life: Diorshow Brow Styler in Universal Brown and the By Terry Tinted Eyebrow Mascara. To this day those two are still ones I consider classics. I’ve used up and repurchased both numerous times. They’re easy to use and always look natural.

Part 1 covers brow gels. If you’re a brow novice or just want something to groom the brows a little, a tinted brow gel is the best way to start. Clear brow gels are great too, my favorite has been the Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel. But sometimes with powder and foundation application – the brows can get a little washed out if your brush goes over them. These days there so many amazing brow gel formulas that have fibers blended in to help fill them in more than just tinting.

First three include ones from By Terry, Tom Ford and Dior. I use different variations of taupe and brown. Sometimes taupe shades can look like in the tube but they will dry down to a darker finish. This gives a more natural looking brow compared to a deeper shade.

Thoughts on these three, also some places you can purchase for reference:

By Terry Eyebrow Mascara in Dark Brown ($38, available at Barneys, Beautylish, Nordstrom and Space NK) – this is actually the first By Terry product I tried. I wandered up to the counter at Barneys and was instantly drawn to their shadow sticks but when I discovered the price almost fainted. The girl asked if I had tried anything from the line before, I said no. She said her favorite thing in the entire line was the Eyebrow Mascara. A quick demo had me impressed and so I bought it. I’ve loved it ever since. Out of all the brow gels I’ve tried this is the easiest to wear and also one of the most natural ones.
Tom Ford Fiber Brow Gel in Espresso ($49, I buy mine from Nordstrom) is in my top picks. I reviewed this a while ago here. It has easily become a regular staple for me especially when I travel. I’ve repurchased it twice. It adds volume, defines and Espresso is the perfect shade for me. It’s darker but not too dark.
Diorshow Bold Brow Mascara ($27, available at Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Sephora) is one I had high hopes for since I really love the Diorshow Brow Styler pencil. The shades in this lineup are very limited. This one works nicely to groom and tint the brows while filling them in. I will use it to the end but most likely will not repurchase.

Swatches:

Next is the Glossier Boy Brow ($16). It comes in clear and three tinted shades Blond, Brown and Black. This has been such a popular brow product and I find Brown is the shade for me. It has the tiniest end to really get a detailed application. I think this one is good but it’s not my favorite. It grooms and thickens nicely and lasts all day, but it doesn’t hold my stubborn brows in place and the brush is so tiny I often get product on my face. I do think it’s decently priced to justify trying. It is a really good product, it’s great that it’s compact and goof-proof. I use it often, I just have others I prefer.

My love for Sisley continues. I tried their Phyto-Sourcils Fix Thickening and Setting Brow Gel ($52) in Miami during the store opening. My husband watched as the artist applied it and said, “WOW you have brows now. You definitely need to get that.” These also have very tiny brushes which takes a bit of a learning curve to apply. The product is loaded with tiny nylon fibers though so they fill in the sparse areas. Use tiny strokes to fill in the brow. The colors are limited to two options and surprisingly #2 darkens enough to work well for my hair color. Scroll down to the bottom and you’ll see how it looks applied. Available at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Beautylish, Saks Fifth Avenue and Sisley.

Hourglass Cosmetics launched their Arch Brow Collection with pencils and a Brow Volumizing Fiber Gel ($28). It comes in six shades shown below. My matches are either Warm Brunette or Soft Brunette. Dark Brunette matches my hair exactly but for me it’s a little too bold and dramatic. Having a bit of brown softens the look more. There is also a Clear Version. This formula is in my top picks for brow gels. The brush is styled in a way that has both short and long bristles so you can control application. I like the longer side and apply in a sweeping motion. There are micro fibers to fill in brows and the formula is strong enough to hold them in place.

Last but not least is the Anastasia Beverly Hills Tinted Brow Gel ($22, available at Sephora, Ulta Beauty, Nordstrom, Anastasia Beverly Hills). These are so unique to me because of the wide range of shades and also due to the fact that these have shimmer in them. It doesn’t show up like shimmer on the brows but you do get more dimension. My best shade is Espresso. Chocolate is the one that dries the darkest. It appears also they have since changed the brushes to be more along the lines of the style Hourglass has. Two of mine have the newer brush while the rest have the traditional one shown below. I actually like the older style better, but both work well.

The best thing about Anastasia’s line is her color range. She probably has the widest range out of all the beauty brands. At Ulta in stores there is usually a chart somewhere to help you find the best color match. You can see it online here. I found it immensely helpful as when you’re looking at dozens of brown pencils, they all kinda look the same!

My bare brows and then three shown below including:

Hourglass Arch Brow Volumizing Fiber Gel in Warm Brunette
Sisley Phyto-Sourcils in Shade #2
By Terry Eyebrow Mascara in Dark Brown #4
Foundation is Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation in Shade 6 + 7 mixed (reviewed here)
For added coverage Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter Shade 4 applied all over
Powder is La Mer Pressed Powder in Light
Blush is Marc Jacobs Air Blush in Lines and Last Night (reviewed here)
Lip Color is Cle de Peau Radiant Rouge in #11
Nail Polish is OPI Lisbon Wants Moor OPI
Top is by Cooper and Ella

That rounds up the best natural Tinted Brow products I’ve tried and found! My top four include: By Terry (easiest to use), Tom Ford (best all around for volume, definition and filling in), Hourglass (for the brush and color range) and Sisley-Paris (best fibers). Part 2 to follow next week with my favorite pencils, powders and tools. I hope this helps give you an idea of what to look at if you’re in the market for a new brow gel. In terms of lasting power, all of them last all day on me and hold brows in place (with the exception of the Glossier).

P.S. A lot of you have asked about the Charlotte Tilbury Brow Gel. I did a review a long time ago on The Supermodel Brow Lift Kit here. Her products are amazing and I’m a huge fan. I used mine up and was happy with it. Over the years I’ve found I like different combinations a lot better, and my brows prefer the Tom Ford and other brands.

If you have any favorites let me know in the comments! Would love to hear about what you use 🙂

Don’t forget to check out this week’s blog giveaway here.

Press samples include the products from Hourglass, Sisley-Paris, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Marc Jacobs Blush, Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation.

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Eye Makeup Tom Ford Beauty

Tom Ford Private Shadows and New Mascara Launches

December 22, 2017

By popular request I have a review with swatches of the new Eyes of Tom Ford Collection. This is Tom Ford’s first eyes-only launch with new Private Shadows ($36 each), three new mascaras in Spike Lash, Shutter Lash and Fullscreen Lash ($45 each) and an Eye Gloss ($36).

Up first is a look at the Private Shadows which are individual shades of eye shadow. These come in the cutest mirrored compact with a snap lock closure versus the magnetic style the Eye Color Quads. There are five different finishes:

Ultra Suede – intensely pigmented matte shades formulated without pearl
Suede – matte shades formulated with subtle touches of pearl
Sateen – high shine shades with a pearl luster finish
Vinyl – pearlized shades with a metallic chrome finish
Paillette – pearlized shades with a sequin glitter finish

I’ve tested all formulas and find they are rich and smooth in pigment. I personally find the finish between the Suede, Sateen and Vinyl to be similar in the colors I tested. They have a smooth pearl quality that feels extremely soft to the touch. They glide on the lids flawlessly. The Paillette shades are glittery, but true to Tom Ford glitters in the sense that I don’t experience fall out once they are on the lids and they are semi-sheer in the base with more pigment in the glitter flecks. I received 7 shades as press samples and purchased 5. Out of all 12 shades there are only 2 I’m not crazy about. Vertigo is a fairly basic grey-taupe (too basic for the price) and Videotape was fairly stiff and hard in texture (color payoff wasn’t as good as the other shades).

I’ve split the shades by color family rather than formula:

A closer look at each row with descriptions:

Top Row, left to right:

Hush (suede) is a soft champagne neutral with a sheen
Breathless (paillette) is a sparkling glitter pale silver
Vertigo (ultrasuede) is a matte soft grey
Burnt Suede (suede) is a soft taupe shimmer

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Middle Row, left to right:

Exposure (sateen) goes on lighter than what I see in the pan, it’s a light pink shimmer
Loveshade (suede) is a beautiful soft medium salmon pink shimmer
Body Double (vinyl) is my favorite, I live for shades like this! It’s the perfect all over lid color in a neutral shimmer beige
Warm Leatherette (vinyl) is another favorite, it’s a warm shimmering amber gold

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Bottom Row, left to right:

Fire Sign (paillette) is a warm copper sparkle
Smoked Opaline (sateen) is a soft olive shimmer
Tempte Bleu (paillette) is a glittery blue, it’s surprisingly wearable and the only blue shadow I’ve tried that I feel like I could wear
Videotape (suede) is a deep maroon

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Swatches:

Next are three new mascaras in Spike Lash, Shutter Lash and Fullscreen Lash and an Eye Gloss. I tried all three mascaras to see how they held up throughout several days. I could not bring myself to test the Eye Gloss on my eyes for more than five minutes. I swiped and swatched it on my hand, dabbed it on my eyes and immediately removed it. This is one product I don’t think I could ever bring myself to wear on the eyes. It has a smooth non-tacky texture but did not feel comfortable on my lids.

For the mascaras, my favorite is still the classic Waterproof Extreme. The new ones aren’t completely smudge-proof because my lashes simply don’t hold the curl well. My thoughts on each one:

Spike Lash is my favorite of the three for the most volume and least smudging. It has an almost wet look to it when you apply so make sure you give it a few seconds to dry before you blink. This has a rubbery looking applicator with tiny spikes. This gives volume in a dramatic way.
Shutter Lash has more dense applicator with bristles and it’s slightly flattened. This gets all the lashes from the base and gives a full coat to everything without clumping. Unfortunately this smudged on me.
Fullscreen Lash has a swirled applicator. It’s great at separating the lashes and lengthening. I didn’t have any smudges on this one.
My favorite is still the Waterproof Extreme in Florida heat it’s one of the few that won’t budge or smudge. All three new ones held the curl pretty well. Spike Lash did the best for intense looking lashes and Fullscreen Lash did the best in lengthening for me.
For reference, you can see a roundup of my Mascara Hits and Misses from this summer.

A closer look:

In summary I think the new eyeshadow singles are really good and worth the splurge. The quality, texture and pigment is excellent. I swatched some of the other matte shades in store and they’re quite smooth and soft. I was tempted to buy some but felt more compelled to go with the shades I felt had some shimmer because they looked more unique. I do wish they had made these like MAC Pro Palettes where you can make your own quad or palette because I find them more convenient than singles. I’m a huge fan of the Tom Ford Eye Color Quads (in particular Nude Dip, Honeymoon and Disco Dust) and almost always bring one with me when I travel because they’re so versatile. Still these don’t take up a lot of space and they’re compact enough to bring several along with you.

I’m really not sure what to do with the Eye Gloss as it’s just not my thing. If you wear eye gloss let me know how and when you wear it!

Mascaras are nice but I would have preferred to have waterproof options. I have lashes that usually don’t hold the curl with a lash curler unless the mascara is waterproof. Waterproof Extreme does everything I need in a mascara. That being said I really like the different applicators in the new formulas.

You can find the Eyes of Tom Ford Collection at all Tom Ford locations now. Online at Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Beautylish, Sephora and Tom Ford Beauty.

Have you tried these yet? What did you think?

Press samples include Hush, Breathless, Vertigo, Warm Leatherette, Smoked Opaline, Tempete Bleu, Videotape, 3 New Mascaras and Eye Gloss.

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Eye Makeup

Le Metier de Beaute Breast Cancer Awareness Kaleidoscopes

November 8, 2017

This year Le Metier de Beaute launched their third anniversary kaleidoscope in support of Breast Cancer Awareness. I featured their first one called the Stephanie Kaleidoscope a couple years ago here in 2015 but it occurred to me that I never reviewed last year’s Faces of Beauty from 2016 so I’ve included it in this year’s review. This year they have a new one called Flash Phenomenon Face & Body Kaleidoscope for 2017 which is just stunning for a beautiful glow – but I’ve used this one the eyes and it’s stunning. I have a third one to feature new this year as well, it’s one you won’t find online as it was created exclusively for Neiman Marcus Tampa Bay called Awareness. I spotted it while I was out shopping and it was love at first sight.

For those not familiar with Le Metier de Beaute kaleidoscopes, they are unique swivel and stacked compacts that typically contain 4 round pans of shadows or cream product. The top has a flip up mirror which is convenient for touch ups. They are often limited-edition and pretty pricey at $95 each but the quality, pigment and texture of their powder shadows are among the best. I used to review and collect almost every one that was released, but after a while I saw so many repeat shades I found I had a lot of duplicates. You can still find a number of palettes online, I usually shop the brand at Neiman Marcus. The powder shadows and blushes in these kits have exceptionally smooth textures with rich color. They are easy to layer with each other and blend nicely.

A quick look at all three and swatches side by side:

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Up first is the Faces of Beauty Kaleidoscope from 2016 which has four eyeshadows in a pink seashell shimmer, a medium bronze, a deeper olive taupe shimmer and a matte black with silver glitter flecks. This has excellent pigment for the three shimmer shades but the matte black is prone to some extra powdery-ness and fall out. I find it best to apply the black shade with a damp detail brush and pat onto the eye as a liner and the powder fall out issue is solved. Lasting power is excellent with these with or without any primers.

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Next is this year’s Flash Phenomenon Face and Body Kaleidoscope which is actually like my dream eyeshadow palette come true. It has four stunning shimmers for a perfect glow on the eyes. I actually haven’t tried it on the face as the colors are pretty intense but I love them layered on the eyes. I do find I need at least 2 more shades for more definition to complete an eye look, but it’s still beautiful and a must in my book. Colors are an ivory shimmer, peachy shimmer, soft copper pink shimmer and a bronze shimmer.

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Last but not least is the Neiman Marcus Tampa Bay exclusive which is called Awareness. Those who have used Le Metier de Beaute know they often do counter and store exclusives which can be hard to track down and find as they’re usually not advertised online. I almost didn’t find it but noticed one in the display case that looked different and asked about it. I’m glad I did because I found out they had a store exclusive. The colors pull warmer on the skin than they look in the pan and texture is a bit stiffer/harder than most of the shadows I’ve tried from the brand. Quality is still on point and pigment is good, just texture is noticeably different. If you want to purchase this one you can call the counter and they will ship it to you. Colors in here include a shimmering silvery mauve, a slightly chalky matte mauve nude, a shimmering bronze and a shimmering plum.

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Two eye looks, one with the Flash Phenomenon kit, one with the Tampa Bay exclusive. These are taken with a flash and lose up so they look extra shimmery in the photos. In real life the glow is a lot more natural.

Bottom line stunning. You can wear these with a dampened brush or dry. I find they adhere well to the lids even without a primer and lasting power is excellent. Of course finding a palette with shades you like 100% can be tricky – with most palettes there is usually at least one color I am luke-warm about. I love all the shades in each of these. I think Flash Phenomenon is my favorite of the bunch. I love last year’s Faces of Beauty but the matte black is a bit more challenging to work with. That being said I find most matte black shadows are hard to work with. The Awareness Neiman Marcus Tampa Bay exclusive kit is beautiful and I like that purchasing it helps a good cause. I do find the shadows a bit stiffer in texture although performance and pigment on the eyes is still very very good. For a more affordable option I do feel that Urban Decay Naked3 Palette can give you a similar effect.

You can find these Le Metier de Beaute Kaleidoscopes online and at select stores at Neiman Marcus. They are all listed as limited-edition.

Have you tried these yet? What did you think?

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Eye Makeup

New Eyeshadow Palettes from MAC Girls, Marc Jacobs Beauty and Kat Von D Beauty

August 14, 2017

There are some new eyeshadow palettes out and I put three to the test from MAC, Marc Jacobs Beauty and Kat Von D Beauty. At first glance the colors look really similar between the three that I have but swatching proves otherwise. They have varied undertones, different textures, finishes and pigment. I’ll say up front the new Marc Jacobs Beauty palettes win for pigment and blendability, MAC wins for the fun factor and Kat Von D is one I have mixed feelings on.

Up first is the one I had the highest hopes for which is the Kat Von D Shade and Light Glimmer Eye Contour Palette. The colors in here are just perfect but the formulas aren’t the same across the board. There are four formulas in this that Kat Von D calls:

Base Shades are soft satiny shimmers: Porcelain, Dusk and Dune
Contour Shades are perfect smooth metallics: Copper, Cinder, Rust
Define Shades are glitters: Bronze, Onyx, Jasper
Topcoat Shades are chunky glitters: Sterling, Glacier and Quartz

The Base and Contour shades are really amazing in texture and pigment. They’re velvety soft and easy to blend. The Define and Topcoat Shades are where this palette gets high maintenance. There is chunky glitter with tons of fall out in application and after application/clean up. You need to apply with either a damp brush or over a super emollient base to make the shades stick. With some glitters I find applying with a finger in a patting motion helps the shadow + glitter stick better with less fall out but with these fall out happened no matter what. If all of the shades were glitter free or in the contour formula this would have been 100% perfect. I can get it to work but it takes a LOT of extra work and clean up.

MAC launched six personality palettes in their MAC Girls Collection and I received Mischief Minx as a press sample. I stopped by the counter and was seriously tempted by Prissy Princess and Power Hungry – some other gorgeous neutrals but decided for now to stick with Mischief Minx. It has a palette of shimmers and warm shades. Pigment is medium but buildable. This one is fairly warm in undertone but easy to wear (even the orange and red shades which I mix or blend). Each shade has a name but it’s only labeled in a removable plastic insert which is easy to lose.

Swatched from left to right is: Mischief Minx (shimmering orange gold), Natural Tease (shimmering tan gold), V Frisky (light silvery gold), She-Nani-Gains (shimmering warm tan), Flaming Femme (matte rust), Schemer (satiny matte warm brown), Been There Done That (shimmering dark brown shimmer), Totally Trouble (black matte), Stride of Pride (gold peach highlighter)

Last but not least is the Marc Jacobs Beauty Eye-Conic Multi-Finish Eyeshadow Palette in Glambition. I’m a fan of the original Style Eye Con ones and the new ones have excellent pigment and texture which are just as good as the originals. Glambition is the most neutral option and the texture is super soft with a velvety feel. Pigment is just so SO good. Color-wise this isn’t necessarily the most exciting palette but it has easy to wear mix of neutrals and bolds that just work. They also layer well together.

Colors left to right include She Was (satiny soft ivory cream shimmer), Infamous (soft rose tan matte), Known For (warm pigmented gold), Seeking (fawn brown matte), The Most (pale pink frost), Over the Top (matte warm brown), Glamour (matte black with gold flecks).

I highly recommend the MAC or Marc Jacobs palettes if you’re looking for a new one. The Marc Jacobs palettes have the best formula out of the three I tried but MAC has more fun wearable shade options to choose from. Kat Von D is one I have mixed feelings on – I still think the colors are just so good but formulas are hard to work with and super high maintenance which is not something I have the patience for. If you’re looking for a new eyeshadow palette that’s more streamlined and simple, you might want to check out the Chanel City of Lights Les 4 Ombres – I just bought it and will be reviewing soon.

I had planned to do some eye looks but I’m in the midst of a move and upcoming travel so I’m a bit limited on time for the moment. Have you tried any of these formulas yet? What did you think? In case you missed it my favorite eye shadow brushes listed in this post here.

Kat Von D Palette available at Sephora and Kat Von D Beauty.
Marc Jacobs Beauty Eye-Conic Multi-Finish Eyeshadow Palette available at Sephora, Marc Jacobs Beauty, Neiman Marcus.
MAC Girls Palettes available at MAC, Nordstrom, Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s.

MAC palette provided for review. Others purchased by me.

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Chanel Eye Makeup

Chanel Ombre Premiere Longwear Eyeshadows

August 7, 2017

Chanel launched new eyeshadow formulas earlier this year in the Ombre Premiere Collection. There are two formulas called the Ombre Premiere Longwear Cream Shadow ($36 each) and Longwear Powder Eyeshadow ($30 each). I bought a few colors several months ago to try and fell in love with the texture of both formulas. Since then I’ve acquired more shades in the neutral category as press samples and find the formulas quite good. Chanel also launched two double-ended brushes with this launch that come with caps making them really nice for travel or to carry in your makeup bag. There is a Retractable Dual Tip Eye-Contouring Brush ($42) and a Retractable Dual-Tip Eyeshadow Brush ($42). They are a bit on the expensive side but are super soft and perform extremely well and for me they were worth the splurge.

The new Ombre Premiere Longwear Powder Eyeshadows are the among the best ones I’ve tried from Chanel in powder form. They are extremely soft but velvety in texture with beautiful pigment. The colors I tried are neutral shimmers. I’ve had Flesh for a few months and find it to be the perfect neutral champagne pinky peach for an all over lid or wash color. Sable is a lighter champagne color. Talpa is a really pretty cool-toned brown shimmer. I feel like this makeup age is the age of palettes and find it rare that single eyeshadows are released. Palettes definitely have the convenience factor but these are really good even if the price tag is pretty high. They glide on the lids beautifully and smoothly with very little fallout. Lasting power is quite impressive alone. If you layer them over the Ombre Premiere Longwear Cream Shadows you get a more intense shimmer. These come with applicators but for these shadows I find it better to apply with a regualar full size eyeshadow brush.

The Ombre Premiere Longwear Cream Eyeshadows are pigmented cream shadows that have a softer texture and more pigmented texture compared to the Illusion D’Ombres. The Ombre Premiere formula by comparison to most traditional creams has a dry finish versus a super emollient one. This makes it one of the longest-lasting cream shadows I’ve ever tested. My lids aren’t like most others in the sense that they aren’t oily and do not tend to get oily. I find my eyes to be more on the normal/dry side if anything. Most of my readers have asked for shadow primers that work for oily lids – ones that are super popular and highly rated with customer reviews all tend to dry out my skin making it look wrinkly. Because of this – I find that the creams work best when I use a single color as a base or lid color either alone or with a powder on top. Layering cream on top of cream with this formula didn’t work so well on some occasions because they dry and set fast. These last an impressive amount of time even in hot humid weather.

Shadow labels on the bottom:

These come with a small white-hair applicator which I didn’t think would be useful. It actually performed the best in picking up pigment and applying them to the lids. I wish that Chanel made another one like it with a larger handle for easier use. Otherwise fingers work for application too. I’ve experimented with a number of shadow brushes and like the double-ended contour brush the best for a full-size option. I do think the applicator these come with is the best way to pick up the most color.

Last but not least are the two dual ended brushes, Retractable Dual Tip Eye-Contouring Brush on the bottom and a Retractable Dual-Tip Eyeshadow Brush on the top. These are some of the softest eyeshadow brushes I’ve tried from Chanel. I really love the larger option as it has the perfect size/density for a brush. The smaller one works really well too but I already have my favorites for detail brushes. There is a moveable portion on each end that you push up to cover the brush tip and then place the cap on top – that way you don’t have to worry about messing up the brush if it gets fluffy from use and recapping. In the past few weeks Chanel has launched an entire line of new brushes – I’m still testing them but hope to have the review up soon.

Overall thoughts are that the formulas of the shadows are really good. I prefer the texture of the powders for that beautiful shimmer but like the colors of the creams better. For summer or hot humid weather these are very good for lasting power when it feels like almost everything is prone to melting off my face. I’m all about neutrals but there are quite a few other colors that are more edgy or bold. For me the neutrals seem most on-brand for Chanel. Some of the others (like the yellow, blue or green) seemed a bit dated but I can see how they could appeal to those who like more fun trendy shades.

Other new items have launched online as well including the Fall-Winter Collection and some new pink Lip and Nail Colors. I already ordered a few pieces from the fall line which I’ll review, for now I’ve decided to pass on the pink shades.

You can find the Chanel Ombre Premiere collection online at Chanel.com and also at all other counters now. The shadows are listed as limited-edition. Have you tried these yet? What did you think?

Ombre Premiere Longwear Shadows provided for review. Brushes purchased by me.

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