Indigo Charm Eyeshadow Palette
Lancome’s Declaring Indigo Collection is an inspired collection amongst the fall launches, but it is (clearly, my opinion only!) the best Lancome collection to-date. It is stunning. It’s wearable, but there are pops of bold, indigo-blue weaved throughout the launch to make it intense. The collection itself is fairly large, encompassing well over twenty different items to please your makeup tastes. I have a few pieces to show you, and also some swatches I did while at Nordstrom last week for the ones I didn’t end up with, but since it’s such a large launch, you can expect a few posts over the course of the day showcasing my favorite pieces!
For my favorite item from the launch, it’s a tie between Indigo Charm Eyeshadow Quad ($40.00) and Indigo Paris Le Vernis ($18.00). (It seems I might have a thing for blues, yeah?) The eyeshadow palette is a stunning mix of deep blues and softer antique golds. Long-time readers know I am a big fan of antique golds and that hasn’t changed, so this quad is completely after my heart. I really didn’t stand a chance, I swear! There is a bold, satiny velvet blue, a deep, rich antique-gold, a softer, more golden-toned antique gold, and finally a shimmery dark blue with silver sparkle. Each is extremely pigmented, feels smooth and velvety to the touch, and leaves no room for questions. High quality and not a single mediocre shade in the bunch.
Paired with the rich indigo-blues of the launch is Indigo Charm Ink Artliner ($23.50). There are also two other shades available: Brun Elegance and Noir Magnificence. Lancome’s Ink Artliers are a new gel-based eyeliner formula that feels creamy, without being too creamy. They dry down fairly matte–they don’t have a wet look–and look much like they do in their pots. Indigo Charm is a rich, navy blue with slight blue shimmer and a little sheen. This is a color that really makes peepers pop (especially brown eyes), and it’s bold enough without being overly bright that it is great to wear alone for just a hint of color.
See swatches/product photos… Continue reading →
Make Up For Ever #311 Eyeshadow
Here’s kind of a mish-mash of shades — plummy/browns.
- #311
is a shimmery burgundy shade. It runs a little on the reddish wine side, and the shimmer is noticeable without being too much. It’s a diamond shadow, so it has a frostier finish than other iridescent shadows by Make Up For Ever.
- #141
is a sheer, slightly shimmery pale mauve-pink. It doesn’t have the best color pay off, but it can be layered to get a little more pop out of it.
- #162 is a matte, brownish-burgundy shade. It can be layered for increased intensity, though it has decent color pay off. I like it for the crease, personally!
- #84 is a shimmery, smoky green with gray tone. It has golden shimmer laced throughout. It reminded me of a lighter MAC Greensmoke eyeshadow, actually.
- #47
is a matte, grayed-down green. It’s kind of like a drab green in a way, but it’s a nice way to add depth to the crease without adding a lot of darkness.
Which of these are your favorites?
Check out more photos! Continue reading →
Benefit Creaseless Cream Eyeshadow/Liner
($19.00 each) is available in twelve different shades, ranging from soft white-gold to golden brown to gray. The Creaseless Cream Shadow is a crease-proof formula that can be sheered out or layered for a more intense effect.
I found that they did indeed live up to their name — they didn’t crease or smudge on me at any point during the day, when worn alone or as a base. I will say they did seem to perform better when used as a base, but I imagine most cream-based products do. Since I didn’t notice any creasing or fading when they were worn alone, I think they held up incredibly without anything on top, too. All of the shades I tried had a light sheen or subtle shimmer to them, which was just fine with me, but I’d definitely love to see Benefit add some more matte shades to the line-up in the future.
If you’re a big fan of MAC paint pots, I think you’d adore these! I found these more blendable/buildable than some paint pots, and I didn’t have as much trouble blending shadows on top of the deeper shades as I have with some of MAC’s darker colored paint pots (e.g. Nice Vice).
Creaseless Cream Eyeshadows
- R.S.V.P. is a slightly warmed-up champagne shade with not much shimmer but more of a golden sheen. This makes for an excellent all-over lid color when you need a quick look, but it also works well as a base shade, particularly for golds and greens.
- Skinny Jeans is a smoky, pewter-green shade. It’s kind of like like gray meets green meets gold. So, basically, all sorts of awesome. (I’m totally obsessed with the color pewter–go figure!) I love using this as a liner on the lower lash line or as a base for a really dark green smoky eye.
- Stiletto is a soft, reddish-burgundy shade flecked with microfine golden shimmer. I found this to be one of the sheerer shades just from the get-go, but it layers really well so you can increase the intensity if you want to use it on the lid. When I used an angled eyeliner brush to apply it as liner, I didn’t have any sheerness issues, it was pretty deep and intense.
- Tattle Tale is an opaque shade of white-gold with golden shimmer laced throughout. This was one of my favorites, just because it looks amazing on my warmer skin tone. It works well as an all-over lid color, neutral base (and I love that it’s a bit on the white side, so it helps colors pop more), as well as a highlighter on cheeks! Gotta love a multi-tasker!
- Busy Signal is a golden-toned bronze-copper shade. It’s incredibly pigmented, needing just one thin layer to get intense color. It is definitely a little warm, but not overly so. It seems almost neutral at times. I found I preferred to use this one as a liner than an eyeshadow (just because I personally prefer to use cream shadows as bases rather than individual shadows).
- Strut is a silver-gray with slight bluish-gray sheen. If you want a smoky eye, try this as a base!
- Flatter Me is a neutral, slightly subdued pinky shade with a little bit of peach and gold shimmer. I think those with cooler toned skin may find this perfect for an all-over color when warmer, more golden tones shades don’t work. I’m warm-toned, but I still like this as a soft lid color. It also can double as a blush if you work quickly with it!
- Birthday Suit is a soft, antique gold shade, which means I am ALL over it. It is such a gorgeous shade, and it has great pigmentation. I love it for layering with brown and gold shadows, as well as greens. I love wearing this alone or as a liner.
- Get Figgy is a mauvey-pink with slight golden shimmer. I liked this one with purple shadows, as well as some pinks, but I did find myself reaching for it more as a liner than a base color.
See more product photos and swatches… Continue reading →
Ruthless
Deluxe Eyeshadows for the Luxe Lovin’
Urban Decay really outdid themselves this season with the sheer amount of new products they launched! With the fall comes three new shades of their deluxe eyeshadow ($18.00 each) in Freakshow, Ruthless, and Frigid. These are actually some of the first single eyeshadows for me — I’ve mostly just experienced their extremely high-in-value palettes they’ve put out All three shades are smooth, pigmented, and easy to blend.
- Ruthless is a champagne shade with just a touch of silver sheen.
- Freakshow is a deep, rich purple with a little bit of red tones to it. It has a cool violet-blue sheen.
- Frigid is a dark blue with purple mixed in and a soft, silvery-blue sheen.
Anyone else snatch these up yet?
See more photos and swatches… Continue reading →
Make Up For Ever #26 Eyeshadow
Five more purples!
- #26 is a bright fuchsia pink with a matte finish. It’s extremely pigmented, and it feels smooth to the touch.
- #52 is a softly shimmered fuchsia-mauve shade of pink. It has slight silver sheen/iridescence, and it is fairly pigmented, particularly for an iridescent.
- #151 is a shimmery, light whitish-lilac color. It is probably one of the more frosty-finished shadows I’ve played with from the brand (an observation–not a negative or a positive!).
- #39 is a matte plummy wine shade. It feels a bit cool-toned and a little more on the purple side than similarly colored #131.
- #131 is a reddish-plum shade, and it has just a touch of shimmer in it (nearly nil). Compared to #39, it’s redder, and it doesn’t feel as cool-toned.
Which of these are your favorites?
Check out more photos! Continue reading →
Make Up For Ever #79 Eyeshadow
Let’s talk purples!
- #79 is a dirty mauve-plum kind of shade. It’s a bit muted, which makes it an excellent color for smoky eyes, but it’s also nice for subduing bolder colors. It has a slight iridescence to it, but it isn’t overly frosty. I thought the pigmentatoin was good as well.
- #160 is a matte eggplant shade of purple. I really love using this with pinks and purples in the crease. It also works really well all over the lid and then a matte black in the crease for an ultra smoky eye. #160 is smooth and has plenty of color for you to enjoy.
- #142 is a shimmery medium purple with a silver sheen/shimmer to it. This isn’t quite as lovely as I was hoping, as it could pump out more color right away, but it layers decently so you can still get a more intense color if that’s what you want (like me).
- #92 is one of the brand’s more famous eyeshadows. It’s a matte, bold shade of violet-purple. It’s incredibly bright, and it goes on smoothly and packs a lot of color from the get go. I haven’t used this yet in a look, but I’m definitely eager to!
- #89 is a soft, pearly fuchsia-purple shade with slight violet sheen. It reminds me of a lighter, less frosty version of MAC’s Stars ‘n Rockets.
Which of these are your favorites?
Check out more photos! Continue reading →
