Bright Makeup: Lotsa Teals

Here’s a quick look I did using two of the new Benefit eyeshadows, plus one of Urban Decay’s new Stardust eyeshadows (to be reviewed in full later). Really loving the way Dolce & Gabbana Nude Blush looks, though. Pain in the behind to photograph a swatch of it, but boy is it gorgeous on.

Is it really only Tuesday? I feel like it should be Friday. Not that I want time to go by that quickly, but it’s been a tiring week… and it’s only Tuesday!

You will need the following…

• Eyes: MAC Soft Ochre Paint Pot (neutral beige base), MAC Teal Pigment (teal), Benefit Shamrocker Eyeshadow (mint), Benefit Mermaid Eyeshadow (green-teal with gold), Urban Decay Atmosphere Eyeshadow (teal), MAC Gorgeous Gold Eyeshadow (green-gold), MAC Femme-fi Eyeshadow (neutral highlighter), Urban Decay Binge 24/7 Liner (dark blue), MAC Plushlash Mascara (black)
• Face:  Bobbi Brown Extra Tinted Moisturizing Balm (Light-to-Medium Tint)
• Cheeks: Dolce & Gabbana Nude Blush (soft beige-pink)
• Lips: Cle de Peau #26 Lipstick (coral), Benefit Zone Out Lip Gloss (sheer gold)
• Brushes: 226 (fluffy crease brush), 219 (pointed crease brush), 249 (flat, firm brush), 239 (fluffy shadow brush), 116 (dense blush brush)
• Substitutes: N/A

For eyes, start by applying Soft Ochre paint pot as your eyeshadow base all over the eye area with the 249. With the 239 and water-based mixing medium (or water), apply Teal pigment all over the lid area. Using the 239, apply Shamrocker eyeshadow on the inner third of the eyelid. Next, apply Mermaid eyeshadow on the middle third of the eyelid and lightly blend with the inner corner. Darken the outer third of the lid with Atmosphere eyeshadow with the 239, gently brushing it into the lower crease. Lightly blend Atmosphere eyeshadow, with the 239, on the outer corner and lid. Lightly tap and brush Gorgeous Gold eyeshadow directly above the crease to soften. To finish the eyeshadow look, sweep Femme-fi eyeshadow as a highlighter on the brow bone. Bring everything together by applying Binge eyeliner on the lower lash line and Gorgeous Gold eyeshadow lightly patted below the lower lash line with the 219 brush. Finish by sweeping lashes with Plushlash mascara.

For cheeks, apply Nude blush to the apples of the cheeks and sweep upwards towards the temple with the 116.

For lips, apply #26 lipstick first, and then layer Zone Out lipgloss for a complementing lip.

Check out more photos!

Benefit Velvet Eyeshadows for Spring 2010

Benefit Spring 2010 Eyeshadows ($18.00 each) come in six, limited edition varieties:  Bo Peep, Buns, Nice Melons, Shamrocker, Mermaid, and Fancy Pansy.  They’re new and only available for a limited time, unfortunately, but they are perfect spring-friendly shades.

I am a big, big fan of Benefit’s Velvet Eyeshadows. I have been for awhile (you can see my original review, if you’re curious), so when I found out that there were six new shades for spring, I got a little excited. When I saw that they had pops of color, I couldn’t wait to try them.  You know me, I love me some color–even though I can totally appreciate a good neutral–and Benefit finally brought me some color.

• Bo Peep is an icy pink with a silver sheen.  This is probably the one with the most frost-like appearance.
• Buns is a caramel brown with a soft golden bronze sheen.
• Nice Melons is a peachy-pink with gold sheen.  It would appear that nobody is going to escape spring without some sort of melon-esque shade in their makeup wardrobe.  Yes, it totally reminds me of MAC Melon pigment, but it’s in glorious pressed form.  (For the record, I do not like MAC pigments pressed… they’re not the same!)
• Shamrocker is a fresh, minty green with silver sheen.  I don’t even know if I have any minty greens in my stash–it’s just not a color you see too often.  I like!
• Mermaid is a dark green with a teal edge and gold sheen.  I would have loved to see a little more boldness and vibrancy from this shade, even though it is very much in line with the look and feel of Benefit as a line.
• Fancy Pansy is a iridescent fuchsia-purple pearled shade with an icy sheen.  It’s like a much more purple version of MAC Stars ‘n Rockets (which runs a little fuchsia in comparison).

All six shades have the same softness, smoothness, and pigmentation as I’ve come to expect of Velvet Eyeshadows.  One of my favorite qualities about these is the consistency across the line — there are no duds.  There are no misses in texture, color pay off, or feel.  Everything is as it should be, even if one color may not be to your taste.  I can really appreciate the consistency, because it means you don’t have to worry, “Is this one going to be a flop?”

I would, of course, love to see Benefit add even more vibrant hues (a girl can dream, right?) or even a line of matte or semi-matte eyeshadows to complement the Velvet Eyeshadow line (which is all on the shimmery side of life).  But nevertheless, I hope they’ll continue to release new and/or limited edition shades throughout 2010!

Can’t wait to do a look with these!

If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!

• Product: 29/30
• Value: 9/10
• Ease of Use: 4/5
• Packaging: 4/5

Recommendation: If you love soft, smooth, well-pigmented eyeshadow, Benefit’s Velvet Eyeshadow is all that and more.

Availability: Benefit

See photos & swatches!

Bo Peep

Buns

Nice Melons

Shamrocker

Mermaid

Fancy Pansy

Bo Peep, Buns, Nice Melons

Shamrocker, Mermaid, Fancy Pansy