Sonia Kashuk Eyeshadow Duos in Diamond Life, Take Cover, and Nudenick ($6.99 for 0.12 oz.) are affordable, well-pigmented neutral-colored eyeshadow duos. I like Sonia Kashuk eyeshadows because they’re fairly reliable — most of the duos have good color pigmentation levels and easy to blend. I found all three of these eyeshadow duos to hold true to that expectation. I’d say the only one I had trouble with was Nudenick, but it’s more of an issue that one color is the same color as my natural skin tone… so yeah. On someone paler or over a base, you’d see it more. (But it would be good for a very natural, barely there eye.)
- Diamond Life is is a duo of a matte, cool-toned brown with gray and a frosty, shimmery champagne shade.
- Take Cover is a duo of a lightly shimmery peach with pale gold shimmer and a richer, golden-toned bronze.
- Nudenick is a duo of a glittery, cool-toned champagne and a matte, warm-toned light peachy brown.
- Product: 8/10
- Value: 9/10
- Ease of Use: 8/10
- Packaging: 7/10
Recommendation: If you’re on a budget, Sonia Kashuk eyeshadows are always worth checking out!
Availability: Target
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MAC Trend F/W ’09 Collection Review: Lipglasses
MAC Trend F/W Collection launches in-store today across North America locations, and the collection includes four lipsticks, three lipglasses, an eyeshadow quad, and a fragrance.
Lipglass
- Runway Fave is a creamy nude with gold and pink shimmer that goes on semi-opaque but still sheer enough that your natural lip color will pop through. It’s pretty, but it’s probably a shade you have something similar to already.
- New Berry is a darker berry with just a touch of burgundy to it that looks lovely and very holiday. It would pair well with Hipster lipstick for sure. It does have a tendency to settle into the lines of your lips, but I find that it’s not really noticeable in-person so much as it is when in photos that are magnified! I like that it’s fairly opaque–not solid to be sure–but opaque enough that it gives me plenty of color.
- So This Season is a red-based purple shade that looks more intimidating in the tube than on. It is definitely a darker shade and casts purple, though. For those who want to try a vampy lip, I actually think this might be one way to go, because it’s sheerer and softer than many purple lipsticks that have come out for fall. Like New Berry, this one can settle into lines on your lips, but again, in person, the effect is not so noticeable.
I liked the lipglasses more than the lipsticks this time around! I felt like all three lipglasses were pretty and wearable, but they also are perfect shades for the fall season. I also appreciated how pigmented they were, even Runway Fave, because I tire of sheer glosses easily. New Berry may not be a must for those who already have indulged in red and berry glosses before, but it’s a nice, non-shimmery shade.
- Product: 8/10
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 8/10
- Packaging: 8/10
Recommendation: I think So This Season is a must, just because it’s different and fun. The other two are nice, but not as necessary!
Availability: MAC Cosmetics
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MAC Trend F/W ’09 Collection Review: Lipsticks
MAC Trend F/W Collection launches in-store today across North America locations, and the collection includes four lipsticks, three lipglasses, an eyeshadow quad, and a fragrance.
Lipstick
- Hipster is a burgundy-berry with a hint of red shimmer laced through it that comes off as very holiday-esque. It is a frost finish lipstick, and it has been out previously (though I didn’t have it). It applies fairly evenly (though not super creamy–felt a little dry) and goes on opaque. This is kind of the same family as Odyssey.
- Red Full-Stop is a glossy coral-pink with no shimmer but lots of shine. It is a lustre finish, but it is one of the most opaque lustre lipsticks I’ve ever seen. This shade reminded me of Fusion (PRO) or Eager (which may run a little pinker).
- Faultlessly F/W is a deep, dark purple berry with cool-tones and just a pinch of red in the undertones. It has an amplified creme finish, and it applies opaque. It should be worn with a lip liner, as the creaminess tends to make this one have a propensity to bleed. It’s similar to Cyber, though not the same (but I haven’t swatched Cyber in awhile).
- Our Pick is a light coffee brown shade with a creamy texture, no real shimmer, and a satin finish. This is not a shade I can wear alone, and even mixed with others, requires some planning and experimenting. I’d say this is in the family of Spirit and Mocha, but it feels a bit cool.
While none of the colors struck me as immediate, must-have colors for my fall makeup wardrobe, all four were different enough from previous launches and had good color pay off — even the lustre. I think Fautlessly F/W is an interesting shade, but it is also a shade that requires confidence to pull off; it’s very, very vampy and dark and everything the fall trend of dark lips is. Hipster would make a lovely holiday lip, and I could see it being even lovelier when layered with a red shimmered gloss to help bring out the redness in it.
Red Full-Stop is like a toned-down version of Fusion (PRO) or Eager. I thought Eager was permanent, but after checking, looks like it’s not. See Sheer or Vegas Volt are both similar, but they both run a bit more orange. Our Pick just looks terrible on me–it’s like a darker concealer on my lips–but layered with other shades, it’s more wearable, but not a favorite for me. I am sure it will work well on others, though!
- Product: 8/10
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 8/10
- Packaging: 8/10
Recommendation: None are really must-haves in my book; I think Hipster makes a greaty holiday shade, and I like the coral tone of Red Full-Stop (why call it red?) the most out of the four.
Availability: MAC Cosmetics
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Barbie Loves Stila Cobalt Clutch & Purple Pumps Smudge Pot
Barbie Loves Stila Cobalt Clutch & Purple Pumps Smudge Pot ($20.00 each) are two of the three new smudge pot shades released with Stila’s Barbie Loves Stila Collection for the fall season. (Little Black Dress is the third shade–and it is on its way to me; as soon as I have it, you know I’ll be reviewing it!)
Purple Pumps is a shimmery shade of violet with a lighter violet-purple shimmer laced throughout the creamy gel liner. It is one of the sheerer smudge pots I’ve tested, but it can be layered for a more opaque look. I found layering was best achieved with a stiff, flat bristled brush (I used MAC’s 249).
Cobalt Clutch is a ridiculously vibrant shade of sea-water blue with a slight sky blue sheen (but more of a sheen than a shimmer). It goes on opaque without any need for layering, unlike Purple Pumps, and the shade is definitely intense. It will definitely look stunning as an eyeliner, but it could be used as a base for some really in-your-face eye color. (I am fairly certain it is the vibrant blue used in the Stila Smitten With Kitten Collection promotional image.)
I’ve always been a fan of Stila’s smudge pots. They’re smudgeproof, budgeproof, and wear all day without fading or creasing. They come in a variety of shades–one surely to entice you–and they’ll last you forever. I haven’t had any of mine dry out on me yet, either, which is a huge plus, because some gel liners have a tendency to dry out within a year.
- Product: 9/10
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 8/10
- Packaging: 8/10
Recommendation: These are not to be missed if you’re a gel liner fan (or a Smudge Pot fan in general!), because these are some bright-eyed shades you don’t see often.
Availability: Stila Cosmetics
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Illamasqua: Hussy Blush
Illamasqua Hussy Powder Blush
($23.00 for 0.14 oz.) is a matte, bright coral-pink. It’s smooth, intensely pigmented, and blends easily. It can be applied more subtly by using a stippling brush like MAC’s 187, or you can always tone it down if you’ve over-applied with a light dusting of powder.
It wears well and won’t fade on you throughout the day, and the color is not so cool to be unwearable for warmer skin tones, but it is also more pink than coral, making it easy to wear for cool skin tones, too. Sephora describes the shade as “petal pink,” which isn’t inaccurate, but I just keep seeing a bit of coral in it, too. The best part about this blush is the intensity of the pigmentation, because you definitely don’t have to worry about it not showing up on your skin tone! I’d compare the pigmentation to that of NARS’ blushes.
I’m a bit disappointed in the value of these blushes, though. They’re more expensive than NARS blushes, and nearly double the cost (per ounce) of MAC blushes. They’re priced just under (again, per ounce) Stila and Smashbox blushes. I do think they could have given us a little more product for the $23 price tag!
- Product: 9/10
- Value: 7/10
- Ease of Use: 9/10
- Packaging: 7/10
Recommendation: Have trouble finding blushes that show up on you? Illamasqua’s are richly pigmented making them good choices for those who like to put the spotlight on cheeks!
Availability: Sephora
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Illamasqua Fable Lipstick: Matte Bubblegum Pink
Illamasqua Fable Lipstick
($20.00 for 0.14 oz.) is described as a “matte bubblegum pink” by Sephora.
Fable is an opaque, warmed-up bubblegum pink. I’ve found most bubblegum pink lipsticks to run a tad cool, while I find this one has a definite warm edge to it. I also wouldn’t call it matte, and I’d say it is more of a semi-matte finish, because there is some glossiness/sheen to it that I don’t normally see in matte textures. I do like the way it looks with just the hint of glossiness, because it keeps the lipstick from being too dry (it’s a smidgen creamy) or flat. Illamasqua packs plenty of pigmentation into this tube of lipstick; there’s no building or layering required to achieve the opacity as seen in the lip swatch.
Though a lipstick will cost you $20, the value is still strong, because you get 0.14 oz. for your troubles. Compared to other high-end brands, Illamasqua is just a bit more expensive than MAC ($140/oz. vs. $143/oz.), but not by much. Their lipsticks are priced right in line with other competitors like Cargo and Make Up For Ever, as well.
The packaging is functional and isn’t over-sized (like their eyeshadows/blushes can feel like)–there’s just nothing special to it. I will say I do feel like their labels tend to rub off all too quickly.
- Product: 8/10
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 8/10
- Packaging: 7/10
Recommendation: If you like intense lip color, you may find Illamasqua’s matte lipsticks to be just the right kind for you.
Availability: Sephora.com
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