Plum Crazy, Dirt Bag, Brown Sugar, Handcuffs, Blackout
Quickie Reviews: Too Faced Metal Eyed Liquid Shimmer Eyeliners
Periodically, I do quickie reviews — these are products that I just don’t do full reviews for one reason or another, but I have photographed/swatched and–at the very least–briefly tested in some capacity, but perhaps not to the fullest extent. I figure if I’ve taken photos/swatches, the least I can do is show you! (I can’t believe I’ve had these sitting in my photo folder since October.)
Plum Crazy is a blue-based lilac violet with silver sparkle.
Dirt Bag is a deep cool-toned bronze with gold and red-brown sparkle.
Brown Sugar is a warmed-up molten chocolate brown with copper sparkle;
Handcuffs is a metallic silver with silver sparkle; and
Blackout is a charcoal black with silver sparkle.
These wear all day long, and the glitter stays put pretty well with only minor fall out, though all the shades are rather sheer when used as eyeliner. You really have to layer it on (and be sure to wait for each layer to dry) in order to get a richer, more opaque look. These do dry very quickly, so you’ll need to work fast to get that precise look. I like these best layered over a solid eyeliner (e.g. black) for a shimmer effect. As a water-based formula, they definitely feel wet and seem to have a thinner formula, but again, it dries down very quickly.
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Product: 24/30
Value: 8/10
Ease of Use: 4/5
Packaging: 4/5
RECOMMENDATION: For layering, these can be fun; if you’re looking for a rich, opaque glitter eyeliner, not so much.
I don’t know why, but for awhile, it seems like I have a bajillion lipsticks and glosses I want to share with you, but I feel a little odd reviewing more than one or two per day. I always think, “Nobody wants to see FIVE lipsticks in ONE day!” Some of these are getting a little “stale” and are on the verge of getting put in the “never going to review” folder, and thus, PIC SPAM!
Chanel Coral Reef (#88) Glossimer is a light peachy-pink base with lots of brightened gold-peach shimmer. Totally gorgeous, but I think this was limited edition. Probably from last summer’s collection. I believe I picked it out of my glossimers with the intention to include it in the Summer Season, but it’s hard to find, so it’s not appropriate for that series any more.
Bloom Sugar Lipstick is a sheer pale rose pink with subtle shimmer and a frosty finish.
Make Up For Ever #3 Glossy Full Couleur is a jelly tangerine-orange. On my lips, it doesn’t really do much. It gives them more of a coral look color-wise, but it does make them look rather juicy from the glossy finish and thick texture.
Tarina Tarantino Nouveau Lip Gloss is a blue-based medium-dark pink with a very glossy, jelly look. It has a very milky look, though it’s certainly not a milky pink by any means.
Too Faced Mood Swing Lip Gloss was just such a gimmicky product, I was loathe to review. They’re not a bad product, but the idea behind it was a little too much for me, personally. I also switched to including full face photos, so while I’ve meant to re-do some swatches, I just haven’t gotten around to it. And now they’re becoming stale!
Too Faced Glamour Gloss in Champagne Room & Tickle Me
Too Faced Glamour Gloss ($19.00 for 0.12 oz.) is a plumping lip gloss available in twelve shades–from beige to marshmallow pink to iced raspberry. It’s a non-sticky lip gloss that’s moisturizing with a cooling sensation (it’s what “plumps”) (like when you use a mint mouthwash). It’s definitely not a sting or burning sensation, but it’s noticeable for at least a half hour. In general, I’m actually quite sensitive to a lot of lip plumpers–a few have really brutalized my lips, even after only an hour of wear. I didn’t have any issues with my lips drying out or peeling post-wear with Glamour Gloss (thankfully!).
Champagne Room is a sheer, light tangerine base with champagne shimmer. It’s surprisingly not at all what I’d have imagined with a name like “Champagne Room,” though.
Tickle Me is a sheer, pinky-coral base with golden shimmer.
The gloss is scented with a strong vanilla-frosting kind of scent–it’s a very sweet, sugary vanilla. It’s a little cloying for me, but I don’t notice the scent when it’s on my lips–just when I sniff the tube (wow, that sounds like I need help!). It’s moisturizing, and it wears for about three to four hours on me. One thing I noticed is that neither shade is particularly glossy. They’re definitely more on the subdued side for a gloss.
I like the gloss–neither shade spoke to me, but the formula itself was nice–but I am really not digging the quantity they give you. Based on price per ounce, Glamour Gloss ($158/oz.) is more expensive than Chanel ($142/oz.), Guerlain ($145/oz.), and YSL ($145/oz.) lip gloss. It’s also significantly less of a value as compared to similar high-end brands like MAC ($82/oz.), Tarte ($105/oz.), and Benefit ($105/oz.). For the $19 price tag, they don’t give you as much as I’d expect. If you’re someone who goes through a tube of lip gloss, it’s not the best gloss for your money, but if you rarely finish one, then you probably won’t notice the smaller quantity in these.
If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!
Product: 27/30
Value: 6/10
Ease of Use: 4/5
Packaging: 4/5
RECOMMENDATION: If you’re looking for a gloss that lightly plumps lips without the bee-sting sensation, you may find the cooling sensation of Too Faced’s Glamour Gloss easier to tolerate. I’ve only tested two shades, but of those two, both of them are on the sheerer side. If you like your gloss less glossy, these are also a good option. Their biggest downside is the value.
Aqua Bunny Crème to Powder Splash Proof Bronzer ($28.00)
A buildable, cream-to-powder, water-resistant bronzer that withstands heat, humidity, and life’s climate challenges. This water-resistant, weatherproof bronzer offers streak-resistance and extended wear on all skin types. The unique, cruelty-free fan brush swirls on the shade evenly and allows you to layer until you achieve your desired sunkissed tan. The cream-to-powder formula is sheer and lightweight and the powder consistency controls shine for the freshest finish. The combination of Actifirm Ultra and Vitamin E hydrates skin and promotes cell regeneration for a youthful glow and Chamomile and Aloe Vera Extract soothe the skin and offer anti-inflammatory benefits.
Glamour Gloss ($19.00)
Get a pain-free plump pout with this Glamour Gloss collection! The innovative formula provides the plumping results of Lip Injection with a sensual cooling sensation. The twelve richly pigmented shades offer a chic range of choices for today’s glam girl. The natural-plumping system utilizes rice lipids and dehydrated marine spheres that work directly with the body’s hydration system to collect moisture and plump lips. A combination of Omega 3, 6, and 9, Natural Vitamin E, Jojoba and Avocado oils hydrate and moisturize lips for a youthful appearance.
Barely Legal Marshmallow pink
Champagne Room Shimmering beige
Erotic Cranberry fizz
First Time Perfect nude
Flirt Pink mocha
Peek-a-Boo Gilded plum
Plush Candied coral
Sex Pot Sheer lilac
Strip Tease Iced raspberry
Tickle Me Pink Sugar
Lip Insurance Lip Primer ($19.00)
This unique, creamy formulation is like Shadow Insurance for your lips. It’s applied over the lips to promote suppleness and glides on smooth for maximum staying power. Your glosses and lip color will not feather, fade, or transfer even under the most lip-challenging conditions. The Vitamin-E-enriched formula pampers lips while unique pigment binders protect lip colors from any pout imperfections.
Perfect Lips ($18.50)
This singular liner sensation blends seamlessly into your lip line to create a shape and definition that works with all lip products and colors. The anti-feathering, waterproof formula won’t fade, budge, or smudge. Natural antioxidants and Vitamin E protect, moisturize, and prevent the lips from aging, while Jojoba Oil nourishes, smoothes, and soothes for a perfectly in-place pout.
For spring, Too Faced introduces four eyeshadow duos ($17.00 each) all in shiny black packaging with clear lids that snap shut.
Teddy Bear & Heaven is a duo a dark, cool-toned grayish brown and a silky smooth pale beige-nude. They’re both matte in texture and have good pigmentation.
Cocoa Puff & Honey Pot is a beautiful duo of a dark, rich chocolate brown with bronze brown undertones and golden shimmer and a metallic copper bronze with a high level of metallic-frost in its finish. I really loved the deep shade (I presume Cocoa Puff) — very intense, lovely, and easy to work with. Honey Pot is very flashy and has a great deal of metallic sheen.
Erotica & Silk Teddy is like a cool-toned version of Cocoa Puff & Honey Pot, actually. It’s a cool-toned taupe chocolate brown with gold and green shimmer paired with a champagne pink with a bright metallic sheen. Like Honey Pot, Silk Teddy is very, very high in sheen.
Sexpresso & Peach Fuzz has a dark, cool-toned espresso brown with a matte finish and a light peachy orange with gold flecks (but the base color felt rather matte with more of the glitter/shimmer as an overlay).
According to Too Faced, the eyeshadow duos were their way of giving you the ability to repurchase your favorite shades from their Natural Eye Palette. I actually reviewed theNatural Eye Palette back in August when it first debuted. The shades they didn’t put into duo form were Velvet Revolver, Push-up, and Nude Beach (and by the way? Nude Beach is no loss, seriously!).
I think it’s cool that Too Faced–at least it seems that way–listened to their fans and made sure they wouldn’t run out of their new favorite shades. I personally prefer the eyeshadow duo packaging — more durable, less messy, and I like being able to tote just one or two around, rather than entire palette. The palette was cute, though. This is also a nice way to maybe grab one duo instead of the entire palette if you were looking for a particular shade. The palette retailed for $34 and contained three larger sized shadows (0.07 oz. each) and six smaller sized shadows (0.03 oz. each), and the duos are a good size — 0.08 oz. for each duo (I imagine it’s split pretty evenly down the middle). You get a better bang for your buck with the palette, but you might prefer the set-up and convenience of the duos (or maybe only want one!).
Bottom Line
Smooth, buttery, and pigmented — these eyeshadows are particularly lovely, high quality, and they’re all easy to use neutrals. I actually much prefer these over the Fun in the Dark Palette and would put my money towards these instead!
If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!
Product: 28/30
Value: 8/10
Ease of Use: 4/5
Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation: If you like Too Faced eyeshadows, and you’re looking for neutrals… those are these!
Spring Makeup with Too Faced Fun in the Dark Palette
Too Faced Fun in the Dark Palette ($32.50) is a new, limited edition eyes, cheeks, and lip palette from Too Faced for the spring. It contains four eyeshadows (Pin-Up, Peep Show, Full Frontal, Lucky Charms), two lip products (Tropical Pink, Free Love), one blush (Papa Don’t Peach), and one bronzer (Sun Bunny). When you flip open the top, there are small, circular lights that go along the border of the palette that light up, and according to Too Faced, the battery life is about thirty hours.
I really, really did not like the light-up mirror included in the palette. In fact, I will just come right out and say it: I hated it. It was a blinding cool-toned white. The light was neither flattering nor comfortable to look towards. I disliked it so much, I left the palette open for two days to drain the battery of the lights, because it was just such a distraction. But seriously, it hurt my eyes a bit when I first flipped the top of this palette open. Don’t get me wrong, the lighting is a minor point, and like I did, you can always drain the battery for the lights, but it didn’t leave me the best first impression, you know?
The four eyeshadows are of the softer shadow variety, and they’re smooth and well-pigmented. Pin-up is a neutral, maybe slightly cool, champagne beige with soft white shimmer. Peep Show is a cool-toned medium pink with gold shimmer–this one was lovely; it reminded me of Urban Decay Naked Lipstick or MAC Stark Naked Blush. Full Frontal is a rich chocolate brown with red undertones and a slightly frosty finish. Lucky Charms is a frosty medium-dark forest green with gold shimmer and green sheen.
Papa Don’t Peach is a pinky-peachy blush, which leans a little more peach. It has good pigmentation, and it’s similar to NARS Orgasm, but I’d say it’s a little darker and not nearly as shimmery. If you like Orgasm, though, I imagine you’d like this shade as well. Sun Bunny is a split-bronzer with a darker, more coppery bronze on one side and a lighter, less shimmery soft copper bronze on the other side.
Tropical Pink is an ultra sheer (aka clear) gloss with a hint of gold sparkle. I found it pretty disappointing, just because there was no pigmentation to speak of and it felt quite gooey. Free Love is a medium-pink lipstick with gold shimmer. I liked Free Love a lot more, because you could get pigmentation out of it with enough layers. I’m still no fan of lip palettes, particularly when they’re housed near powder-based products, though!
Bottom Line: If you’re looking for a palette for easy travel, you might enjoy Fun in the Dark, because it has a little something for all of your face – the eyes, cheeks, and lips. It’s not the most handy palette, just because the four eyeshadows don’t yield the most combinations, but it’s an interesting pairing of colors, nonetheless. I like it overall, but I didn’t fall in love.
Edit: It does, indeed, look like they spelled Chronicles wrong on the palette. I checked the image Sephora’s using, and it’s misspelled there, too.
If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!
Product: 25/30
Value: 9/10
Ease of Use: 4/5
Packaging: 3/5
Recommendation: If you like Too Faced eyeshadows, or have always wanted to try them, this might be a good way to check them out!
