Softly Smoky: Drama, but Not Too Much

Quickie look I did before I took my midterm to test out the wear of some new products I’m trying out! I will say I refuse to use Urban Decay’s Maui Wowie eyeshadow again. I’m through with it! It is fallout city, and even when I use it with a sticky base, it refuses to cooperate. Such a pretty shade, so it’s a shame, but no thank you!

You will need the following…

• Eyes: Shiseido H12 Lemon Sugar Hydro-Powder Eyeshadow (pale yellow gold), Urban Decay Maui Wowie Eyeshadow (antique gold), MAC Concrete Eyeshadow (cool, dark brown), MAC Ricepaper Eyeshadow (highlighter), MAC NC15/NW20 Chromagraphic Pencil (nude), YSL Black Velvet Dessin du Regard Eyeliner (black), MAC Opulash Mascara (black)
• Face: Lancome Aqua Fusion Tinted Moisturizer (1), Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder
• Cheeks: MAC Springsheen Blush (peachy-pink)
• Lips: Cle de Peau T3 Extra Rich Lipstick (pinky nude), Make Up For Ever #10 Fascinating Lip Gloss (sheer champagne 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 Lemon Sugar eyeshadow as your eyeshadow base all over the eye area with the 249. Using the 239, apply Maui Wowie eyeshadow all over the lid. Next, apply Concrete eyeshadow into the outer crease and lid with th 226. To finish the eyeshadow look, sweep Ricepaper eyeshadow as a highlighter on the brow bone. Bring everything together by applying Velvet Black eyeliner on the lower lash line and NC15/NW20 pencil lightly patted below the lower lash line and smudged with the 219 brush. Finish by sweeping lashes with Opulash mascara.

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

For lips, apply T3 lipstick first, and then layer #10 lipgloss for a complementing lip.

Check out more photos!

Shiseido Hydro-Powder Eye Shadow ($25.00 for 0.21 oz.) is a cream-to-powder eyeshadow that can be used as a cream eyeshadow or as an eyeshadow base.

It is available in several shades: H1 Goldlights (gold), H2 Whitelights (white), H3 Tiger Eye (peach-orange), H4 Spring Plum (plum), H5 Aqua Shimmer (aqua), H6 Violet Visions (purple), H7 Green Exotique (green), H8 Bare Pink (soft pink), H9 Glistening Sand (nude), H10 Languid Lagoon (teal), H11 Rose Tulle (rose), H12 Lemon Sugar (soft yellow), and H13 Clover Dew (soft green).

With summer coming up, we have to break out our most long-wearing, budge-proof makeup. It would so not be cute to have mascara smeared under our eyes, eyeliner running around, and eyeshadow creasing and swimming on the lid. I tried three shades of Hydro-Powder Eyeshadow…

• H5 Aqua Shimmer is a steely blue with a silver sheen/shimmer. It doesn’t actually read very aqua to me, but it’s like a darkened water blue.
• H10 Languid Lagoon is a aqua-teal with flecks of green and gold shimmer.
• Lemon Sugar is a softened golden yellow.  This would definitely make a nice, universal colored base.

The formula of the Hydro-Powder Eyeshadows is phenomenal. They have a very creamy, almost water-based feel (that’s not to say they’re running or thin, but they’re creamy and have a wet texture) that glides onto the eye easily. The three shades I tried were all pigmented and applied smoothly and evenly to the eye whether you used your finger or a brush.

But the real reason these are amazing is that they’re crease-proof, budge-proof, and smudge-proof once they’ve dried. The drying time is long enough to give you time to blend them together, if you choose to use them as eyeshadows, but not so long that you have to wait around for it to set.

My favorite way to use these are as eyeshadow bases, because they work well to emphasize or intensify your eyeshadows as well as keeping them locked in place all day long. Even though I don’t personally use them as individual eyeshadows, they’re some of the easiest cream eyeshadows to blend together.

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

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

Recommendation: If you have problems with your eyeshadows creasing, Shiseido’s Hydro-Powder Eyeshadows may rescue you from your makeup woes either alone or worn under eyeshadow!

Availability: Nordstrom, Sephora

See more photos & swatches!

Shiseido Hydro-Powder Eyeshadow: H5 Aqua Shimmer, H10 Languid Lagoon, H12 Lemon Sugar

Shiseido Hydro-Powder Eyeshadow: H5 Aqua Shimmer, H10 Languid Lagoon, H12 Lemon Sugar

Shiseido Hydro-Powder Eyeshadow: H5 Aqua Shimmer, H10 Languid Lagoon, H12 Lemon Sugar

Shiseido Hydro-Powder Eyeshadow: H5 Aqua Shimmer, H10 Languid Lagoon, H12 Lemon Sugar

Shiseido Hydro-Powder Eyeshadow: H5 Aqua Shimmer, H10 Languid Lagoon, H12 Lemon Sugar

Shiseido Hydro-Powder Eyeshadow: H5 Aqua Shimmer

Shiseido Hydro-Powder Eyeshadow: H10 Languid Lagoonr

Shiseido Hydro-Powder Eyeshadow: H12 Lemon Sugar

Shiseido Hydro-Powder Eyeshadow: H5 Aqua Shimmer

Shiseido Hydro-Powder Eyeshadow: H10 Languid Lagoon

Shiseido Hydro-Powder Eyeshadow: H12 Lemon Sugar

Shiseido Hydro-Powder Eyeshadow: H5 Aqua Shimmer, H10 Languid Lagoon, H12 Lemon Sugar