Part 3 included black golds with Bobbi Brown Black Ink, MAC Smolder, and Urban Decay Zero as a true-black baseline:
1. Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner – Black Ink 2. MAC Eye Kohl – Smolder 3. Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil – Zero 4. Laura Mercier Kohl Eye Pencil – Black Gold
5. MAC Technakohl Liner – Uniform
6. MAC Kohl Power Pencil – Orpheus 7. Clinique Cream Shaper for Eyes – Egyptian 8. MAC Powerpoint Eye Pencil – Buried Treasure 9. Chanel Le Crayon Yeux Precision Eye Definer – Noir Scintillant 10. Dolce & Gabbana Crayon Intense Eyeliner – Stromboli 11. Stila Smudge Pot – Golden Noir 12. Nars Single Eyeshadow – Night Clubbing (applied wet) 13. Trish McEvoy Eye Definer – Lava 14. MAC Solar Bits – Black Ore
After organizing of all my eyeliners, I decided to divide the blacks into two groups, Smokey Greys/Blacks and Black/Golds. I’ve also decided to use a few shades as a baseline which I feel are true blacks so you may see some repeats in the next few posts. Part 2 includes the greys and true blacks.
Eyeliner swatches: 1. MAC Pearlglide Eyeliner – Wolf 2. Stila Kajal Eye Liner – Smoky Quartz 3. Laura Mercier Kohl Eye Pencil – Stormy Grey 4. Chantecaille Precision Eye Pencil – Flint
5. Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner – Gunmetal Shimmer Ink
6. Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner – Graphite Shimmer Ink 7. Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner – Caviar Ink (NOTE, the swatch looks brown next to black ink, but goes on the eyes more of a soft black without brown) 8. Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner – Black Ink 9. Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Long Lasting Eyeliner – Black Shimmer 10. MAC Softsparkle Eyepencil – Night Sky (black with silver glitter) 11. Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Long Lasting Eyeliner – Ebene 12. MAC Eye Kohl – Smolder 13. Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil – Zero 14. Chanel Le Crayon Khol Intense Eye Pencil – Noir
Shadow swatches: (note for the shadows, skin was prepped with Estee Lauder Idealist and Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation in Bamboo Beige to help the shadow adhere to the skin)
1. Chantecaille Shine Eye Shade – Meteorite 2. MAC Pigment – Sweet Sienna 3. MAC Frost Eyeshadow – Charred 4. MAC Veluxe Pearl Eyeshadow – Knight Divine 5. Chanel Ombre Essentielle Soft Touch Eyeshadow – Silvery 6. MAC Velvet Eyeshadow – Black Tied 7. Chanel Ombre Essentielle Soft Touch Eyeshadow – Black Star 8. Bobbi Brown Eyeshadow – Steel 9. MAC Pigment – Dark Soul 10. Stila AOS Powder – #13 11. Becca Eye Color (Shimmer) – Velvet 12. Shu Uemura Pressed Eyeshadow – ME Black 990 13. Urban Decay Deluxe Eyeshadow – Zero 14. MAC Matte Eyeshadow – Carbon
I thought I’d do a series on smokey eyes. I usually associate “smokey” with black shades, but often cannot wear many blacks because they either look too silvery or blueish on my olive toned skin, so when I look for black shades, I usually try to look for something with a slight variation on the basic black (for example a black gold, or blackened purple, or silvery black).
Part 1 includes the black eyeliners that work for me, included are some with gold or silver flecks, but have an underlying black color base. That being said, it looks like a good majority of the black-gold eyeliners here photograph as mostly gold or khaki gold (with the combination of black and gold shimmer) but in real life, still appears somewhat black on the eyes.
1. MAC Technakohl Liner – Uniform (deep khaki green with gold pearl) 2. MAC Eye Kohl – Smolder (intense black) 3. MAC Softsparkle Eyepencil – Night Sky (black with silver glitter) 4. MAC Powerpoint Eye Pencil – Buried Treasure (underground brown-black with gold)
6. Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Long Lasting Eyeliner – Ebene 7. Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Long Lasting Eyeliner – Black Shimmer 8. Chanel Le Crayon Khol Intense Eye Pencil – Noir 9. Chanel Le Crayon Yeux Precision Eye Definer – Noir Scintillant 10. Clinique Cream Shaper for Eyes – Egyptian (blackened green with gold pearl) 11. Clinique Brush-On Cream Liner – Egyptian (blackened green with gold pearl) 12. Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner – Black Ink (jet black) 13. Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner – Caviar Ink (no official description, but to me, soft charcoal black-brown – also NOTE, the swatch looks brown next to black ink, but goes on the eyes more of a soft black without brown) 14. Stila Smudge Pot – Golden Noir (black with a touch of gold) 15. Dolce & Gabbana Crayon Intense Eyeliner – Stromboli (black with gold flecks)
In addition to nudes, I’m also obsessed with shimmery brown and bronzey liners. Here’s a series of shimmery brown eyeliners – yes, I know a lot of them look exactly the same . . . but what can I say, I get sucked in with every new bronzey color that comes out!
The products – pencils and gel liners:
Swatches on Laura Mercier Bamboo Beige Silk Creme Foundation to prime:
1. Clinique Cream Shaper for Eyes – Brown Sugar 2. Stila Kajal Eye Liner – Bronze 3. MAC Eye Kohl – Powersurge 4. MAC Splashproof PowerPoint Eye Pencil – Bountiful Brown 5. MAC Pearlglide Eye Liner – Spare Change 6. MAC Technakohl – Plank 7. MAC Eye Kohl – Teddy 8. Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Pencil – Underground 9. Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Pencil – Bourbon 10. Trish McEvoy Eye Definer – Sparkling Bronze 11. Chanel Precision Eye Definer- Brun Cuivre 12. Laura Mercier Kohl Eye Pencil – Brown Copper 13. Shu Uemura Drawing Pencil – 02 ME Brown 14. Le Metier de Beaute – Tamarack 15. Becca Line + Illuminate Pencil – Mustique 16. Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eye Liner – Bronze Shimmer 17. Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eye Liner – Chocolate Shimmer Ink 18. Stila Smudgepot – Bronze 19. Clinique Brush-On Cream Liner – Bronze
One of my favorite color categories for eyes lips and cheeks is that pretty golden color – pale gold, light bronzey gold, honey golds, amber golds. I’ve decided to share some of my favorite golds for eyes, lips, cheeks and nails – especially those who like MAC’s Naked Honey Collection, but are looking for a bit more variety or other options.
Cheeks – Bronzer, Highlighter, Blush:
1. Bobbi Brown Illuminating Bronzing Powder in Aruba(see previous post HERE) 2. Dior ‘Diorskin’ Shimmer Star Pressed Powder in Copper Diamond 3. Dior ‘Diorskin’ Shimmer Star Pressed Powder in Amber Diamond 4. MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in New Vegas(was released with McQueen Collection) 5. MAC Beauty Powder Blush in Enough Said(was released with Red She Said Collection) 6. MAC Sheertone Shimmer Blush in Trace Gold
Eyeshadows:
1. Chanel Ombre Essentielle Soft Touch Shadow in Gold 2. Nars Cream Eyeshadow in El Dorado 3. Nars Powder Eyeshadow in Cyprus 4. Nars Cream Eyeshadow in Cosmic Girl 5. Bobbi Brown Metallic Eyeshadow in Golden Peach 6. MAC Veluxe Pearl Eyeshadow in Soft Force(released with Style Warriors Collection) 7. MAC Veluxe Pearl Eyeshadow in Femme Fi(released with Neo Sci-Fi Collection & Blonde/Brunette/Redhead Collection) 8. MAC Frost Eyeshadow in Bagatelle (released with D’Bohemia Collection) 9 + 10. Laura Mercier Eye Color Pot in Solid Gold 11. Laura Mercier Eye Color in Sunlit (released with the Saks Exclusive Orange Blossom Collection) 12. Becca Eyeshadow in Lurex 13. Giorgio Armani Maestro Eyeshadow #28 (see original post about new Maestros HERE) 14. Giorgio Armani Maestro Eyeshadow #2 15. Shu Uemura Eyeshadow in P Brown 820 16. MAC Frost Eyeshadow in Ricepaper 17. Dior One-Color Eyeshadow in Beige Select #525(UK/Asia Exclusive, Spring 2009) 18. MAC Pigment in Dazzleray 19. MAC Pigment in Blonde’s Gold 20. MAC Pigment in Jardin Aires 21. MAC Pigment in Melon 22. Bobbi Brown Cream Eyeshadow in Sandy Gold
Lipglosses: 1. Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Gold 2. Le Metier de Beaute Lip Creme in Creme Caramel 3. Guerlain Terracotta Gloss and Shine Beige Sun #52 4. Nars Lip Gloss in Greek Holiday 5. Nars Lip Gloss in Moon Fleet 6. Chanel Glossimer in Pin-Up 7. Chanel Glossimer in Sunset Gold 8. Bobbi Brown Lip Gloss in Pearl Sugar 9. Bobbi Brown Lip Gloss in Rose Gold 10. MAC Plushglass in Nice Buzz 11. MAC Lustreglass in Instant Gold 12. MAC Lipglass in Bonus Beat(released with Heatherette collection) 13. MAC Lipglass in Gold Rebel(released with Style Warriors collection) 14. MAC Dazzleglass in Goldyrocks 15. MAC Dazzleglass in Moth to Flame
Lipsticks:
1. Trish McEvoy Glaze Lip Color in Golden 2. Bobbi Brown Creamy Lip Color in Sunset Nude 3. MAC Glaze Lipstick in Sunsational(released with Style Warriors collection) 4. MAC Frost Lipstick in Gel 5. Chanel Aqualumiere Lipstick in Cancun 6. Nars Lipstick in Mojave 7. Nars Lipstick in Promiscuous 8. Chanel Rouge Allure in Lumious 9. Bobbi Brown Shimmer Lipstick in Candlelight (today’s equivalent is Metallic Lipstick in Beige Gold) 10. Laura Mercier Stickgloss in Tiger Lily
Nail Polishes
Left to right: Nars Adelita, Chanel Golden Sand, MAC Golded
I’m a huge fan of the tanned summery look, so I thought I’d share some of my favorite coppery bronze colors. To avoid bronze-overload, I usually mix different variations or intensities of bronzey shades for eyes, lips and cheeks. Some of my favorite eyeshadows: 1) Nars Fez, 2) Chanel Lumieres Facettes in Plein Soleil, 3) Chanel Le Bronze, 4) Trish McEvoy Eye Base Essentials in Malibu, 5) Bobbi Brown Shimmer Wash Eyeshadow in Copper Cocoa, 6) Le Metier de Beaute Spicy Eyeshadow, 7) Trish McEvoy Sable Bronze, 8) MAC Pigment in Chocolate Brown I’m a huge fan of bronzey cheeks: * Top left to right – Becca Mineral Bronzing Powder in Duende, Bobbi Brown Shimmer Blush in Bahama Brown, Laura Mercier Illuminating Powder in Moroccan Bronze * Middle left to right – Trish McEvoy Luminzer in Luminous Bronze, Nars Multiple in South Beach * Bottom left to right – Nars Blush in Lovejoy, Laura Mercier Mineral Powder in Warm Bronze (mini size) For lips, I’m not a huge fan of the dark bronze lips, but prefer lighter bronze shades, or even nude shades with a hint of bronze: * Left to right – Trish McEvoy Sheer Lipcolor in Barely Innocent, Chanel Aqualumiere in Maritius #86, Chanel Aqualumiere in Key West #83, Giorgio Armani Silk Lipstick #18, Laura Mercier Boho Bronze, MAC Lustre Lipstick in Honey-Flower, Bobbi Brown Creamy Lip Color in Bronzed Pink
For lipglosses: * Left to right – Giorgio Armani Lipshimmer #57, Trish McEvoy Irrisistible, Chanel Glossimer in Unity #41, Chanel Aqualumiere Gloss in Freeze #66, Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Bronze, MAC Lustreglass in Beaux
What are some of your favorite coppery bronze shades?
