rating: c minus

NARS Laguna The Multiple

NARS Laguna The Multiple

NARS Laguna The Multiple ($39.00 for 0.50 oz.) is described as a “brown with golden shimmer.” Multiples are a cream-to-powder product that is touted as “all-in-one” and multi-purpose.  It can be used on eyes, lips, and cheeks.  It’s a warm bronze-brown with golden shimmer-sheen.  The color is buildable, so the level of opacity you want depends on how much product you apply or how much you blend it out.  It’s less warm-toned compared to theBalm Betty Lou-Manizer. It’s less red-toned compared to MAC Gilty.

As with most Multiples, Laguna works best as cheeks/face, because it’s very drying on the lips.  It just has this uncomfortably dry feeling when applied to lips that continues and leaves lips parched after an hour or two of wear (it doesn’t even wear well or long!).  On the brow bone, it’s more practical, but on the lid itself, I wasn’t able to get it to stay longer than a few hours before there was noticeable creasing.  Applied to cheeks, Laguna wore for four and a half hours.  By five hours, it looked a bit faded and patchy.

The texture of Laguna is creamy but there’s a dryness to it, which I found difficult to blend over foundation.  It’s easier to apply and blend over bare skin, but I’m not blessed with beautiful skin so it’s not a product I could use without foundation.  You can layer foundation over it, but it makes the routine slightly more complicated and precision will count, so you don’t layer so much that you cover up the bronzer!

I wish I liked Multiples better, but I don’t find they’re nearly as multi-talented as they claim to be!  I’m always a bit disappointed in the wear (four to five hours isn’t good!).  I get better wear out of NARS’ powder blushes!  Laguna may not work for all skin tones; I found it looked a little dirty on me–you might need to have some natural redness or pinkness in your undertones so it brings out the golden hues of the color.

Do you love Multiples? What are your tried and true tips for making them work?

Where to Buy: Sephora, $39

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MAC Vintage Coin Metal-x Cream Eyeshadow

MAC Metal-x Cream Eyeshadow Review, Photos, Swatches (Part 2)

MAC Metal-x Cream Eyeshadow ($20.00 for 0.08 oz.) will launch nine limited edition shades on December 26th (in-stores), and they include: Cyber (metallic silver with silver pearl), Fusion Gold (light pinky beige with gold pearl), Gold Carbon (metallic taupe), Palladium (metallic ash), Red Hot Copper (warm copper), Rusty (dirty peach gold), Venetian Tarnish (golden tarnished bronze), Vintage Coin (metallic olive green), and Virgin Silver (white with silver pearl).

• Rusty is a softened copper with golden shimmer-sheen. It’s not as intense as a lot of coppers can be. The finish here wasn’t as metallic as some of the other shades. It’s similar to Urban Decay Chopper, which is a little more orange. MAC Soft Brown is kind of like a matte version of this. MAC Lie Low is a hue or two browner.
• Venetian Tarnish is a molten gold-shimmered bronze. It has this deeper, darker bronzy base color but the sheen it gives off makes it appear more golden. Urban Decay Snakebite is similar in the base color but the sheen isn’t nearly as strong. MAC Tempting has a similar sheen but warmer base–I think if you layered it over a deeper brown (maybe even just Bronze), you could get close. Urban Decay Deeper is similar, not as bright of a sheen. Inglot #406 is also similar. Urban Decay Smog has less of sheen but pretty similar in color.
• Vintage Coin is a rich, medium-dark olive green with darker, almost emerald green shimmer. Bare Escentuals Speaker Box is less metallic and warm. Lancome Designer is not as intense.
• Virgin Silver is a really bright silvery white with a metallic sheen. This was the least pigmented of the range. It’s brighter than Bobbi Brown Tinsel and lighter than MAC Misty. MAC White Frost has less silver. Inglot #447 would make for a really great dupe. Chanel Fantasme is sheerer and more glittery with less white.

Virgin Silver had some pigmentation issues for me; it has a really bright, reflective finish but applies sheer even though I tried to build it up to be more opaque.  The other three shades were nicely pigmented, though, and were some of the creamier, easier to blend out shades of the set.  I liked Venetian Tarnish the most, but it actually seems the most dupeable!

For the full review, please see this post.

Where to Buy: MAC Cosmetics on December 26th, $20 each

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MAC Red Hot Copper Metal-x Cream Eyeshadow

MAC Metal-x Cream Eyeshadow Review, Photos, Swatches (Part 1)

MAC Metal-x Cream Eyeshadow ($20.00 for 0.08 oz.) will launch nine limited edition shades on December 26th (in-stores), and they include: Cyber (metallic silver with silver pearl), Fusion Gold (light pinky beige with gold pearl), Gold Carbon (metallic taupe), Palladium (metallic ash), Red Hot Copper (warm copper), Rusty (dirty peach gold), Venetian Tarnish (golden tarnished bronze), Vintage Coin (metallic olive green), and Virgin Silver (white with silver pearl).  This post features the first five (we split posts primarily to manage the image load, so instead of almost 50 photos being downloaded at one time, we have only 25 ).

• Cyber is a dark silver-shimmered gray. This one felt like it had larger sparkle particles, so it may be prone to fall out. MAC Silver Sleet is similar but a little darker–however, it has a much more of a metallic finish, whereas Cyber has more of a frosted one. MAC Tundra is a little lighter.
• Fusion Gold is a peachy rose with good color payoff. This is one of the more versatile shades–I liked it best as a highlighter. MAC Nubile is pinker. Chanel Emerveille is very similar.
• Gold Carbon is a really deep, dark intense neutral-cool brown with hints of gray and copper. It reminded me a lot of NARS Ponderosa. Wet ‘n’ Wild We’re Blasting Off is a bit purpler. MAC Legendary Black isn’t as dark but still similar.
• Palladium is a dirty gold-silver; kind of pewter-like. It’s a little more silvered than Giorgio Armani #19. Wet ‘n’ Wild Dancing in the Clouds is a touch darker. I think MAC Cash Flow is a bit darker.
• Red Hot Copper is a reddened copper with a metallic sheen. It’s a bit redder compared to theBalm Racy Kacy. It’s very similar to MAC Coppering.

For the full review, please see this post.

Where to Buy: MAC Cosmetics on December 26th, $20 each

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MAC Palladium Metal-x Cream Eyeshadow

MAC Metal-x Cream Eyeshadow Review & Photos

MAC Metal-x Cream Eyeshadow ($20.00 for 0.08 oz.) may sound new to some, but it originally debuted way back in 2007 (see my original “review” here–and I called that a review? For shame!) and were repromoted in 2008 as “Brushed Metal-x.” I kind of think the shades from the first launch were more fun–I still have Plum Electric (vibrant grape purple), though I don’t think I used it but a couple of times, because it looks nearly new. Cyber, Fusion Gold, and Virgin Silver have been relaunched as part of this year’s offerings.

In two separate posts, I will go through the individual shades regarding their pros/cons, possible dupes, and so forth, but I did as much testing as I could in time that I’ve had these, which is about 24 hours by the time this post is published. Lucky for me, because these crease nearly instantaneously, it was easy to test multiple shades.

Worn alone, none of the shades I tested (two are photographed below–Palladium and Venetian Tarnish–but I also tested Fusion Gold, Rusty, and Vintage Coin) could make it from application to camera (and I hurried!) without some creasing, and then, after fifteen minutes or so, significant creasing. Worn over an eyeshadow base (I used MAC Paint Pots and NARS Smudgeproof), it didn’t seem to make much of a difference–still creased within minutes and worsened by fifteen.

I did, however, have luck when I wore a single shade layered over an eyeshadow base with several powder eyeshadows on top. I used all MAC products, for the sake of giving MAC the best chance it could, and for me, everything managed to wear well enough for five hours. There was some fading of the colors overall, but I didn’t experience creasing up until that point. By eight, though, it had faded a bit more and had some noticeable creasing. However, a word of caution, I have drier lids, and I really packed on the powder products.

I also tested the wear on both cheeks and lips. They had a funny taste, so I don’t think I’d wear them again as a lip product, and they are very drying. They’re like a matte frost finish–the drying, clingy feel of a matte coupled with a really high frost finish. On the lips, I tried Red Hot Copper, which only lasted for an hour (no eating/drinking) before fading unevenly.  It’s uncomfortable and doesn’t wear well.

On cheeks, I used Rusty to highlight and Red Hot Copper to add color. Because of the higher frost content, it does emphasize pores somewhat, and depending on the temperature of your workspace, these may be difficult to apply evenly. I found fingers to be the best applicator with these in general, because the cream surface is very hard and almost powdery–it balls up and takes the warmth from your fingertip to be able to work it out into a smooth, even finish. The wear was so-so; it was noticeably faded and, unfortunately, patchy, after three hours of wear without a setting powder and five hours of wear with a setting powder. Of all the ways I tried it, I liked it best on the cheeks, just because I didn’t have to worry about creasing.  It wears similarly on the brow bone and decolletage.

This is really not a consumer-friendly formula; it will take some effort, work, practice, and the right skin type to get these to work well. In 2007, maybe it was acceptable, maybe other brands hadn’t created technology to yield this kind of finish and color payoff, but in 2011, I don’t think it is. If you have drier lids or tend not to have problems with your cream products creasing on you, these may work out for you. If you have oilier lids, I really do recommend–if these are just tempting you beyond belief–to try one and see how it works for you or else buy from a store with a good return policy. These weren’t well-received in 2007, so I’m kind of baffled as to why MAC would bring thes back without some reformulation. Sure, they bring back a product that seemed to receive mostly negative reviews, but last year’s Mega Metals (just as metallic as these) were a complete homerun and those remain a one-time wonder.

At $20 a pop, if the only way I can use it is as an eyeshadow base, it’s not the most useful product in my stash. When you use a translucent powder on top, while you retain some of the original shade, you do mute it a bit and definitely tone down the frosted/metallic finish, so it seems to defeat the purpose of these–which is that really high-shine, metallic-like finish (though some of these read frosty, less metallic).  I could see picking up one or two for editorial work, though I think MAC’s Metal Pigments have a much better metallic finish and work better, plus some of their pigments that have more of a frosted/metallic shine.  Like Big Bounce, I don’t know why these are marketed towards consumers, because realistically, I’m not sure how one would wear it except if you 1) wanted your eye makeup to crease or 2) you were only going somewhere for an hour or so.

We’ve seen MAC put out metallic fluidlines and paint pots, which work fantastically alone or as an eyeshadow base. I’d much rather put my money towards products with similar textures, finishes, and even shades, that perform better like Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Intense Eyeshadows, Chanel Illusion d’Ombres, Bare Escentuals Stay-There Eyeshadow, or L’Oreal’s Infallible Eyeshadows (which finally hit the states!)–the latter two don’t wear as well as the first two, but they’ll manage to six hours to eight hours or so without an eyeshadow base.  Even Estee Lauder’s new eyeshadows have a really cool, metallic-like finish, but they’re powder (and I suspect we’ll see something similar by MAC in the next six months).

So while MAC doesn’t tout these as long-wearing, they still fall short of just wearing.  I thought long and hard about that one, but if it takes both an eyeshadow base, plus packing of powder eyeshadows on top, to make it more than fifteen minutes–we’re just not functioning.  I’d let it slide if it just didn’t wear to six or eight hours, because long-wear tends to be more like eight to twelve hours, but I can’t even achieve eight with all the bells and whistles without both fading and creasing on the eyes; fading and patchiness on the cheeks (after four hours) and lips (after an hour).  A C- feels generous to me, personally, but that is how the numbers worked out–I’m sure you can sense my disappointment and frustration on this product.  Did we really need two collections of crease city products this year?

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Bobbi Brown Chocolate & Gold Eye Paint Palette

Bobbi Brown Holiday 2011: Chocolate & Gold Eye Paint Palette

Bobbi Brown Chocolate & Gold Eye Paint Palette ($45.00 for 0.12 oz.) is a limited edition, warm-toned palette that features four shades of the brand’s Eye Paints, which seems like a baked eyeshadow formula. If you’re familiar with MAC’s Mineralize Eyeshadows, these perform and feel very alike. The shades the palette contains are: Gold (pale gold), Bronze (beige gold), Chocolate (rich brown with gold pearl), and Black Gold (black with gold pearl).

• Gold is a light-medium yellowed gold with a frosted, metallic finish. It isn’t an overly warm gold–it’s as close to a neutral gold as you’d get. The color payoff is sheer when it is applied dry, and it intensifies to decent pigmentation when applied wet, but it’s never quite opaque. It’s much smoother when used damp as well and has less fall out when used that way. Bare Escentuals Standing O, MAC Treasure Hunt, and Givenchy Lune Mordoree are all similar.
• Bronze is a medium-dark gilded bronze with a metallic shimmer-sheen finish. Like Gold, the color payoff is fairly sheer and the shimmer feels and looks chunky when it is applied dry. When it’s applied damp, the product binds together better so it is smoother and more pigmented. It is similar to MAC Retrospeck,
• Chocolate is a warmed-up chocolate brown with bronze shimmer. The pigmentation is pitiful when it’s applied dry, and it has a very dry, powdery texture. It’s infinitely better when used wet, where it comes together for a really opaque, smooth result. NARS Galapagos is deeper, but they are similar.
• Black Gold is a blackened brown color base with cool-toned bronze and champagne shimmer. It’s just like Chocolate–dry, sheer payoff when used dry, but it’s intense and smooth when applied wet. Tarina Tarantino Dream is browner, warmer. The base color is a bit similar to MAC Legendary.

My experience with this palette was as poor as it was with Bobbi Brown’s Onyx & Silver variation. First, if you’re a big fan of MAC’s Mineralize Eyeshadows, you may like these more than the overall rating indicates–because I pretty much have the same issues with these as I do with MAC’s, which are fading and fall out.

These shades have to be used damp, because the results when used dry are too chunky and sheer. However, when you use them damp, the color result fades over time, even over a primer, and I had a good amount of fall out underneath my eyes after eight hours of wear. I was flabbergasted at how much fading at occurred over eight hours–I thought my eyeshadow was missing on the lid (which is where I used the lighter color, Gold). Those are two big no-nos when it comes to powder eyeshadows as far as I’m concerned.

Where to Buy: Bobbi Brown, $45

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Bobbi Brown Onyx & Silver Eye Paint Palette

Bobbi Brown Holiday 2011: Onyx & Silver Eye Paint Palette

Bobbi Brown Onyx & Silver Eye Paint Palette ($45.00 for 0.12 oz.) contains four shades of Bobbi Brown’s Long-Wear Eye Paints. They’re designed to not only wear for hours but are “densely pigmented” and “can be applied wet or dry” with a “lustrous, highly-reflective finish.”

It includes these shades: Tinsel (light silver), Silver (blue silver), Lava (black with silver pearl), and Blue Onyx (deep indigo blue)

• Tinsel is a bright silver with silvery-white glitter and a metallic finish. It’s sheer both dry and wet, and it doesn’t come together smoothly even when applied wet–I had a lot of fall out with this shade. It’s a bit lighter than MAC Filament.
• Silver is a dark silver-shimmered gray with subtle brow undertones and a bluish sheen. It has decent color payoff when applied dry but becomes opaque, deep, and smooth when applied damp. It reminded me of theBalm Muppetational, which is a bit lighter. MAC Tundra is also similar in both color and finish.
• Lava is a matte black with silver sparkle and teal shimmer layered on top. It’s a better version of Bobbi Brown Onyx. It’s in the same vein as shades like MAC Black Tied and Lancome The New Black (which is the best of this type). When applied dry, the sparkle is less noticeable, and it appears as more of a black-brown with a dry, almost chalky look. When applied damp, it’s much more intense, more like a black, and the sparkle comes out more. I did experience some fall out with this shade.
• Blue Onyx is a blackened blue with an indigo blue shimmer and sheen. It’s more of a satiny finish than metallic as described. This shade was very, very sheer when applied dry, and it doesn’t look all that blue either. When I dampened the product, it came out more vibrant and the blue came to the forefront. It reminded me of MAC Blue Storm. Givenchy Lune Mordoree is also similar but a touch purpler.

If you’re a fan of MAC’s Mineralize Eyeshadows, you’ll probably like Bobbi Brown’s Long-Wear Eye Paints, because they’re really similar. They have the feel, look, and wear of baked eyeshadows. If you use them dry, expect sheerer color payoff, while dampening the shade will greatly intensify the pigmentation and smooth out the texture. The colors are prone to fading during wear if you use them damp/wet during application; of course, they will always dry a little more muted than when they are initially applied wet since it does not stay perpetually wet, but it fades even more.

Tinsel had a ton of fall out; it was difficult to apply from the get-go because of the amount of excess that littered my under eye area, but I had continual fall out throughout the day because it just doesn’t bind together. You’d really need a sticky base to get it to adhere to minimize the fall out. I had similar issues with Lava but to a lesser degree; I didn’t have too much fall out during application, but I did find the silver sparkles transferred to parts unknown as the day wore on.

Where to Buy: Bobbi Brown, $45

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