Make Up For Ever Aqua Creams: Part II

Ahh! The five Aqua Creams ($22.00) I ordered from Sephora arrived over the weekend, and I’m pleased to say I’ve been enjoying them! I liked the first four that I tried, because the pigmentation is incredible, and the finishes are beautiful.

Lips & Cheeks: #5 Peach, #6 Fresh Pink, #7 Fuchsia, #8 Red, #9 Coral, #10 Orange
Eyes & Cheeks: #1 Anthracite, #2 Steel, #3 Silver, #4 Snow, #11 Gold, #12 Golden Copper, #13 Warm Beige, #14 Satin Brown, #15 Taupe, #16 Pink Beige, #17 Plum, #18 Purple, #20 Intense Blue, #21 Turquoise, #22 Emerald Green

• #9 Coral is a medium coral-orange with subtle shimmer (very faint).
• #6 Fresh Pink is a beautiful blue-based pink with golden shimmer. SO pretty. It’s amazing on cheeks and lips! Just make sure to prep lips, because it seemed a little drier than some of the other Aqua Creams, but it holds on for hours.
• #13 Warm Beige is a lightened champagne taupe with a metallic sheen. This is kind of a neutral base color, but it’s a bit high on the frost/metallic finish and darker than I’d like — not quite as universal as I was hoping.
• #11 Gold is a metallic gilded gold. Very, very pretty. Not entirely sure how usable it is, but it is stunning.
• #20 Intense Blue is a medium ocean blue with silver shimmer. It’s like MAC Freshwater eyeshadow, in a cream form.

The reason I like these so much is they’re creamy but not too creamy–they won’t slip around on your eye lids, and they really lock down. These just don’t budge at all, even without setting with eyeshadow. I also like that you can use them on eyes/cheeks or lips/cheeks (depending on the shade), because they’re more multi-tasking. I like them the most on eyes, then cheeks, and finally lips. I wouldn’t wear these alone on lips (they dry down a bit, so they’ll last for over four hours on me, possibly stain, but my lips need more moisture, so I top with a gloss). Like they are on the eyes – they are excellent bases.

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• Product: 29/30
• Value: 8/10
• Ease of Use: 4/5
• Packaging: 4/5

Recommendation: If you love color and rich, creamy textures, you may find the new Aqua Creams right up your alley. These are particularly lovely blushes for those with oily skin, because these dry down quite well.

Availability: Sephora

See more photos & swatches!

Make Up For Ever #9 Aqua Cream

Make Up For Ever #6 Aqua Cream

Make Up For Ever #13 Aqua Cream

Make Up For Ever #11 Aqua Cream

Make Up For Ever #20 Aqua Cream

Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream: #9, #6

Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream: #13, #11

Make Up For Ever #20 Aqua Cream

Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream: #9, #5

Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream: #6, #7

Mix & Match with Urban Decay & MAC

Here’s a look I did test-driving NARS’ new eyeshadow base (got a sample of it with a recent Sephora order) and new Urban Decay eyeshadows.  Plus, even though I still don’t feel like Lazy Day is a must-have (and I really thought it was going to be higher on the sell out list than it appears to be), it looks super lovely with Splashing.

How’s your Wednesday going so far?  What are you having for lunch? (Or what did you have?)

You will need the following…

• Eyes: NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base (eyeshadow base), Urban Decay Free Love Eyeshadow (peachy-melon), Urban Decay Woodstock Eyeshadow (brightened pink), Urban Decay Psychedelic Sister Eyeshadow (purple), MAC Nylon Eyeshadow (white-gold highlighter), Urban Decay Honey 24/7 Liner (gold), MAC Plushlash Mascara (black)
• Face: Make Up For Ever HD Foundation (140), Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder (translucent)
• Cheeks: Make Up For Ever #6 Aqua Cream (yellow pink with gold), Benefit Sugarbomb Powder (pink-peach)
• Lips: MAC Lazy Days Lipstick (pastel pink), MAC Splashing Lipglass (pink)
• Brushes: 249 (flat, firm brush), 239 (fluffy shadow brush), 226 (fluffy crease brush), 219 (pointed crease brush), 116 (dense blush brush)
• Substitutes: Lazy Days = Angel; Splashing = Flusterose

For eyes, start by applying Smudgeproof base as your eyeshadow base all over the eye area with the 249. Using the 239, apply Free Love eyeshadow on the inner half of the lid. Lightly blend Woodstock eyeshadow on the outer half of the lid with the 239. Next, apply Psychedelic Sister eyeshadow into the crease with the 226, lightly blending outwards and upwards to fade to the brow bone. With the 239, apply Woodstock eyeshadow into the lower crease and then blended towards the outer corner and lid. Blend Nylon eyeshadow with the crease shade and highlight the brow bone. Bring everything together by applying Honey eyeliner on the lower lash line and Free Love eyeshadow lightly patted below the lower lash line with the 219 brush. Finish by sweeping lashes with Plushlash mascara.

For cheeks, apply #6 aqua cream on the apples of the cheeks and sweep upwards towards the temple with the 116. Highlight softly with Sugarbomb with the 165 or 131.

For lips, apply Lazy Days lipstick first, and then layer Splashing lipglass for a complementing lip.

Check out more photos!