Cream Eyeshadow Archives - Page 7 of 9

Paul & Joe Eye Glosses: Celestial, Halo & Murmur

July 1, 2010

I’ve been eyeing the Paul & Joe Eye Glosses for over a year and finally decided to purchase them to try them out. Another lemming-inspired purchase influenced by bloggers I adore and trust. I am a skeptic by nature and for me reviews are sometimes hard to decipher. We all have different tastes, opinions, and preferences, so what works for some might not be my cup of tea. I don’t have immediate access to Paul & Joe in person, so these reviews gave me a good idea of what to expect. Each have their own unique style, but there are multiple items they’ve reviewed on occasion that I love, so I found their perspective and descriptions extremely helpful. Check out their reviews:

Lotus Palace’s review of Halo 04 + eye swatch here
Josie’s review of Celestial 01 and Murmur 05 + swatches here
Gaia’s review of Moonlight 03 and Murmur 05 + swatches here
Tali’s review of Celestial 01 + eye swatch here

The Eye Glosses retail for $24 each and come in a tube with a sponge tipped application with a whipped gel type of formula. My picks from Beautyhabit (online) & Bergdorfs (instore) in 01 Celestial (sparkling pale gold), 04 Halo (light frosted cool pink), and 05 Murmur (shimmering grey-taupe) are shown below:

The first one I played with was Murmur 05, a shimmering grey-taupe. It took some experimenting before I could get the application right. My first tries left me with either a finish that was too sheer or lop-sided (because they dry pretty fast). I found this one works best when applied in light layers. They dry and set pretty fast once brushed onto the eyelid, so I had to use my cream eyeshadow brush to apply in quick strokes blending fast. I like this one just by itself with mascara.

Next, I tried Celestial 01, a super sparkly pale gold. When it comes to shimmer, we all have our own personal preference for how much shimmer we feel comfortable with. I have to say this one is a lovely shade of pale gold, but the sparkle factor is extremely intense! Gaia from The Non-Blonde described it perfectly when she says it’s more for date night. We have similar tastes in brands and products, just typically pick colors on different ends of the spectrum. I’m all about shimmer, but I’m pushing 30 and this seems a bit over the top for conservative-me. It’s borderline glittery. Gorgeous, but it’s definitely out of my comfort zone.

Halo 04 was the last one I tried out, a cool pale pink shimmer. It’s sparkly as well, but the finish is less glittery than Celestial. This one blends to a lovely pink shimmer wash.

So the verdict – I like the packaging and the lasting power. They dry fast, but once they are set, they stay put. Murmur is lovely when layered properly on the eye and is subtle enough for everyday wear. Halo and Celestial are a few notches up in the shimmer factor. I think these are better suited for going out. I could possibly wear Halo (the pink one) for every day, but only when applied with a light hand.

If you’ve tried these – what are your thoughts? Are there any other colors you feel are must-haves or must-try-outs? If you’ve reviewed it feel free to link in the comments below 🙂

Or if you have any suggestions on what you coordinate with these I’m all ears!

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Look of the Day Inspired By My Daily Reads & Readers

June 20, 2010

Today’s look is inspired from a few of my favorite daily reads and readers. The bits of inspiration include the following:

J.Crew Perfect-Fit Stripe Boatneck top inspired by Gigi’s Gone Shopping & 9 to 5 Chic
Paul & Joe Eyegloss 05 Murmur inspired by Lakshmi & Josie
MAC Dollymix inspired by Bubblegarm
Chanel Nouvelle Vague inspired by My Little Fashion Diary

Today’s Look: Summer Casual

Top: J.Crew Perfect-Fit Stripe Boatneck (S)
Shorts: J.Crew
Sandals: Tory Burch
Purse: Chanel
Guest Puppy Appearance: Mr. Jake

Makeup of The Day:

Face: Chanel Sunkissed Illuminator
MAC Refined Golden Bronzer
MAC Dollymix Blush

Eyes: Paul & Joe Eye Gloss 05
Bobbi Brown Seashell Shimmerwash
MAC Naked Dark Pigment (swatches here)
Bobbi Brown Java Metallic Eyeshadow
(Java comparisons)

Lips: MAC Dervish
Paul & Joe Liplacquer 06

Brushes Used:

Eye look was a smokey taupe, here’s how:

Step 1: Apply Paul & Joe Eye Gloss in Murmur 05 on lids (for asian eyes, 1/2 way up eye from lash to middle of eye, heavier near lash line)
Step 2: Apply Bobbi Brown Java Metallic from lash to 1/2 way up lid for a smokey eye, also heavier near lash line
Step 3: Apply MAC Naked Dark Pigment over center of eye to blend out any harsh lines from the darker shades
Step 4: Apply Bobbi Brown Seashell Shimmerwash from brow downwards softly to create a subtle highlight
Step 5: Curl lashes and apply mascara

Nails of the Day: Chanel Django & Nouvelle Vague

The mani/pedi combo:

I’m surprised that I’m liking the blue nail polish! FYI – the Jcrew top seems to run a bit small. I’m normally an XS in their shirts but found it to be a bit too snug. Or perhaps I just have been having too many sugary drinks and gained weight.

Feedback appreciated! Too much info in one post? Is the look too casual to write about? Would you style the top differently? I like that it can be dressed up a little with a nice skirt or dress pants. But it’s nice as a loungy-carefree-top too. Being in Southern California – my daily style is pretty casual.

I already did a lip swatch and EOTD attempt – neither turned out decent this morning. I’ll try and feature the Paul & Joe Lip Lacquer by itself in another post in the near future.

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Weekend Look of the Day: J.Crew White Ruffled Tank & Skirt

June 14, 2010

How was everyone’s weekend? The weather here in Southern California has been a bit odd the past few days – at least by the beach. Sunny bits here and there and then mostly cloudy. This was Sunday’s outfit/look.

Top: J.Crew ruffle tank
Skirt: J.Crew white denim mini
Belt: J.Crew patent burgandy skinny belt
Shoes: Prada flats
Purse: Chanel

I didn’t plan to have mostly J.Crew on – but it seems to happen more often these days, although I do have to say it’s with their older pieces from past seasons. I love how comfortable the ruffle top is, but unfortunately, if it’s not tucked in or tied with a belt over, then it looks like a huge tent.

Face:
NARS Beverly Hills + South Beach Multiples mixed on cheeks
MAC Getaway Bronze Blush on top

Eyes:
Clinique Seashell Cream Shadow as a base
NARS India Song Duo
MAC Orpheus Eyeliner

Lips:
NARS Beverly Hills + South Beach mixed/dabbed on lips
MAC Love Nectar Lustreglass + Beach Lounger Lipglass mixed

I’m really loving those Multiple Tints from NARS (see my review of 2 of them here NARS Beverly Hills & Cadaques Multiple Tints = Pure Genius). Beverly Hills pulls more bright pink than red on my skin for some reason, but I still like it. Works well dabbed on lips for a slight tint. I liked it mixed a little with South Beach. I mixed the two on the back of my hand first and then applied on the lips. For cheeks, I swiped Beverly Hills on each cheek then South Beach on top and blended quickly with the fingers.

Also wanted your opinions: for the Chanel – is this something I can still pull off or is it totally OUT of style? It’s an older one, I don’t think Chanel makes the line anymore – at least definitely not the brown-on-brown. It’s just been sitting in my closet for ages. I keep forgetting to bring it out. Input would be greatly appreciated 🙂

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A Few New Taupes From MAC, Guerlain, Trish McEvoy & Too Faced

May 25, 2010

I’ve recently found a few new taupe shades in cream and powder formulas from MAC, Trish McEvoy, Guerlain and Too Faced.

Clockwise from top shadow:

MAC Eyeshadow in Prepped for Glamour
Guerlain Terracotta Eyeshadow Pen in Smoky Metal
Trish McEvoy 24-Hour Shadow & Liner in Topaz
MAC Greasepaint Stick in Dirty
Too Faced Single Eyeshadow in Sitcom Siren

Most of the shades look true to what you see in the compact or stick, except for Guerlain Smoky Metal which went on my skin surprisingly warm. I haven’t tried this shade on the eyes yet, but I have tested out the others. MAC Dirty is such a gorgeous shade but unfortunately doesn’t last at all. It is extremely smudgey and by late afternoon gave me raccoon eyes. Trish McEvoy Topaz is more promising. I used it alone blended out on my lids and it didn’t budge at all. I can’t say whether or not it lasted a full 24 hours since I only had it on for the evening (from around 7:00 pm to midnight). But it lasted the entire time and when I got home looked just as good as when I put it on. My SA tested out the steel black grey shade from Trish and said it didn’t last at all on her and seemed way to soft/moist to be a 24-hour product, so YMMV per shade.

MAC Prepped for Glamour is extremely similar to Satin Taupe but the Prepped for Glamour shade has just a tad bit more red/warmth to it. But otherwise, very close. that I can barely tell the difference. Too Faced Sitcom Siren is my first Too Faced product. Pigment/blendability is nice but I actually prefer MAC. Sitcom Siren is a bit too frosty for my liking.

Swatches with different lighting:

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Bobbi Brown Beach Shimmer Brick + Shore Cream Eyeshadow

May 15, 2010

I’ve been eagerly anticipating the summer Beach Collection by Bobbi Brown for months ever since I saw the preview sheets at my local counter and it’s finally arrived instore at Nordstrom! The collection also features a few new cream shadows in the metallic and regular formulas. I picked up Beach Shimmer Brick and Shore Cream Shadow.

Beach Shimmer Brick ($38) and Shore Long-Wear Cream Shadow ($22)

The Beach Shimmer Brick is a stunning neutral like many of her other highlighters. It’s a bronzey beige with slight peach tones. The shimmer factor is high in my opinion, so if you like subtle, this may have too much shimmer for your liking.

I compared it to a few other shimmer brick shades when I got home and they all seemed extremely similar. Even after swatching them, I could barely tell the difference – so note, these swatches may indeed be worthless in giving you a good comparison, so I’ll try and compensate by description.

Beach is the most peachy with no pink tones (at least on me)
Sandstone is the most neutral and tan
Beige is the lightest color
Nude is very similar to Beach, just more pink, less brown

Shore Long-Wear Cream Shadow is the perfect nude skin-toned cream eyeshadow I have been searching for. I have quite a few other nude cream shadows, but those who are around Chanel Shell/NC30ish understand the challenge of finding a good nude. Painterly can be a bit pastey looking, Groundwork is a good contour but not quite nude, Layin’ Low can come off orangey if applied too heavily, and Malted can look a bit greyish on our skin.

Shore has a very slight sheen to it, it’s not a full on shimmer like Galaxy, but not a full on matte like Malted. I love it. I would say it’s one step up (darker) than MAC Soft Ochre.

One last view without flash:

Overall thoughts: I really like both, but if you already have Nude or Sandstone Shimmer Bricks, then Beach isn’t really a must have. I do like the shades in the Beach Shimmer Brick individually though – I think they’ll suit darker tan skintones a lot better than her previous shimmer bricks because they have more color.

I personally love Shore, in the container it looks very bland, but I like it on the skin/eyes blended out. I’m a fan of her regular cream shadows because they just melt onto my skin and look very natural.

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Color Focus: Dove Grey Eyeshadows

March 30, 2010

I find it incredible how many different variations of grey there are. One particular color I don’t come across very often is dove-grey for eyeshadows, but perhaps this is because I don’t look for it very often. I personally define dove-grey as a blueish grey, but even the ones I pull out are probably subject to interpretation. I didn’t think I had many dove-grey shadows, but I managed to pull out a number of barely used dove-grey shadows from my stash. I need to use these more often. Even for something I would define as “dove-grey” there are quite a few variations. Some of them look more blue than grey. And I was surprised how neutral/warm Apres Ski looks on my skin compared to what I see in the container.

Armani Cream #2 (LE from Spring 2005), NARS Notorious (discontinued), Jouer Truffle, MAC Scene, Becca Chinchilla, Laura Mercier Stone Suede Satinee, Stila Shore, Laura Mercier Sable, Laura Mercier Twilight Grey, MAC Copperplate, MAC Apres Ski

Some of these you might even describe as taupe. I don’t use these a lot, but I think pairing these with a soft pearl shimmer would be pretty.

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Color Focus: Soft Peach & Peachy-Gold Eyeshadows

March 27, 2010

You can’t go wrong with a soft peachy-gold eyeshadow for an all-over easy & quick eye look. For girls with medium skintone, there are tons of your-lids-but-better options out there for a no-fail shimmery peach. My all time favorite is Chanel Abricot which I hear has now been discontinued. Luckily you can probably still find it at one of your local counters. Some of the peachy shades look pale on my skin even though they look peachy in the container.