Make Up For Ever #302 Holodiam Powder
Not Everything is How It Appears
Make Up For Ever #302 Holodiam Powder ($25.00 for 0.035 oz.) is described as “plum with pink, purple, and turquoise highlights.” Alone, it has a strong reddish copper base with flecks of pink and teal sparkle. When I layered it over a black eyeliner, it appeared as a blue-teal. Ultimately, how it looks and what color comes out depends on the base, so it will take on different characteristics over different colored bases as well as with different viewing angles.
Because of its duo- (or triple) chrome finish, it’s a very versatile product. It’s described as an “extremely fine loose powder with a pearlescent finish.” Make Up For Ever recommends it for use on eyes and cheeks and used dry for a softer effect and wet for something more intense. They do advise using some sort of setting/fixing spray or sealer. It is a very fine micro-glitter; it feels larger than shimmer or powder (more texture than the Star Powders but finer than traditional glitter).
Make Up For Ever #303 Holodiam Powder
Glitter and Spice and Everything Nice
Make Up For Ever #303 Holodiam Powder ($25.00 for 0.035 oz.) is described as “white with blue, green, and gold highlights.” When applied to the skin alone, it looks like a mix of lavender, violet, green-gold, and silver. Patted over black eyeliner, it looked blue and gold at one angle, then green and teal at the next. It’s somewhat like Illamasqua Beguile. I suspect MAC Reflects Transparent Teal would also be a bit similar.
Make Up For Ever’s Holodiam Powder is a new and limited edition loose powder for the holidays that’s described as an “extremely fine loose powder with a pearlescent finish.” It can be used on eyes and cheeks, wet or dry, as desired. On its own, it doesn’t stay put well, so my best advice is to use an adhesive base, cream eyeshadow, fixing spray/seal, or patted onto some makeup base before it’s had time to dry (foundation, eyeliner, etc.). It’s fine micro-glitter, and I think it works well on the eyes–so thank goodness it’s safe for the eyes–but on the cheeks, it felt a little sand-like. You might opt for one of the brand’s Star Powders for something finer.
OCC Mirrorball Cosmetic Glitter
OCC Fall 2011: Mirrorball Cosmetic Glitter
OCC Mirrorball Cosmetic Glitter ($12.00 for 0.088 oz.) is described as a “disco-era silver with rainbow reflections,” and it will launch with the Pretty Boy Collection on September 6th. OCC’s Cosmetic Glitters are not for use in an airbrush machine and not recommended for use in the immediate eye area. They are micronized metallic glitter for face and body art, and they recommend applying over OCC Ink (before it dries) for long-lasting wear.
Mirrorball is a silvery-blue base of color with a multitude of iridescence. It really is a rainbow of reflections, because there are so many visible colors reflecting, but it is dominated by green, blue, and violet–though there are red, orange, yellow shimmers as well. Swatched dry, it tends to look more like colored sand, but when applied wet (I used water, though for real application, I would use a mixing medium–something with a more adhesive base), it comes together better.
The glitter feels very fine, though it certainly has more of a gritty texture than OCC’s Loose Colour Concentrates–which is as expected. Again, these are not recommended for use in the immediate eye area. Some ways to use glitter: mixed in nail polish, strewn over wet polish, in hair, mixed with lipstick/gloss, mixed with a body oil–just to name a few ways.
I decided not to use the Glossover rating system to grade this product (which does not work for all beauty products–e.g. hair, skincare, etc.), because ultimately, it’s going to depend on how you use it. It’s not a product that really stands on its own–it is designed to be mixed with something. The very nature of the product doesn’t enable it to stay on without some type of base (like a sticky cream) or adhesive element (like a mixing medium). It’s a nice glitter–it’s not chunky or gritty, and it comes together well when used with other mixtures. There are lots of pretty reflections and iridescence, just as one would want in a glitter.
On an overall basis, I rate the product an A. The packaging is just like the Loose Colour Concentrates, and again, I really had to tap and bang around the pot to get as much glitter to show as I did for photography purposes. The three-holed sifter gives you enough product to work with but not too much.
