Gold Eyeliners: Your Guide

I say I love this color and that color, but it’s more apparent that I love all colors, really.  More gold eyeliner than you could fill a treasure chest with…

1. Giorgio Armani #04 is a muted yellow gold with bronze-brown tones, so it appears a little brighter than true antique gold but not extremely brassy either. (LE)
2. Dolce & Gabbana Candied is a pale, yellow gold. It’s lighter than all of the other gold eyeliners I have.
3. Make Up For Ever #9L is a medium yellow gold. It is similar to Korres #6S.
4. Guerlain Gold (01) is a warm, gold-shimmered orange. (LE)
5. Korres #6S is a yellowed gold with a shimmered finish. (DC)
6. Urban Decay Eldorado is a warm, orange-toned molten gold. It is similar to Chanel Vegas Gold.
7. Chanel Vegas Gold is a warm-toned, orange-based gold with a metallic finish. It is similar to Urban Decay Eldorado. (LE)
8. MAC Handforged is warm, coppery bronze with a metallic sheen. It is similar to MAC Going for the Gold and NARS Campo de’ Fiori.
9. MAC Going for the Gold is a golden bronze with a metallic finish. It is similar to NARS Campo de’ Fiori and MAC Handforged. (LE)
10. NARS Campo de’ Fiori is a gold-shimmered bronze with a soft sheen. It is similar to MAC Going for the Gold and MAC Handforged.
11. Urban Decay Honey is a molten, yellow gold with a metallic sheen. It is duped by Stila Koi, L’Oreal HIP Gold Chrome, and Milani Gold. (DC)
12. Stila Koi is a molten, yellow gold with a metallic sheen. It is duped by Urban Decay Honey, L’Oreal HIP Gold Chrome, and Milani Gold.
13. L’Oreal HIP Gold Chrome is a molten, yellow gold with a metallic sheen. It is duped by Urban Decay Honey, Stila Koi, and Milani Gold.
14. Milani Gold is a molten, yellow gold with a metallic sheen. It is duped by Urban Decay Honey, Stila Koi, and L’Oreal HIP Gold Chrome.

TEMPTALIA PICKS:  #9L (true gold, quality), #11 (texture, pigmentation), #14 (budget-friendly, pigmentation, quality)

Behind-the-Series:  It was my intention to provide heavy, opaque swatches to provide an accurate color comparison.  Some eyeliners required one pass, some required five, and a few even more.  When possible, the shade name (above) is linked to the original review so you can read more about the quality, wear, etc. of a particular eyeliner.  If we’ve never done a review, there will be no link.  Shades that were limited edition will be marked with “(LE)” and shades that were discontinued will be marked with “(DC)” after the color description.  You can also find all comparisons on The Dupe List.

What’s your favorite Gold Eyeliner? How do you like to use it?

See more swatches & comparisons!

Gold Eyeliners: GA #04, D&G , MUFE #9L, Guerlain Gold, Korres #6S,
UD Eldorado, Chanel Vegas Gold, MAC Handforged, MAC Going for the Gold,
NARS Campo de’ Fiori, UD Honey, Stila Koi, L’Oreal HIP Gold Chrome, Milani Gold

Gold Eyeliners: GA #04, D&G , MUFE #9L, Guerlain Gold, Korres #6S,
UD Eldorado, Chanel Vegas Gold, MAC Handforged, MAC Going for the Gold,
NARS Campo de’ Fiori, UD Honey, Stila Koi, L’Oreal HIP Gold Chrome, Milani Gold

Gold Eyeliners: GA #04, D&G , MUFE #9L, Guerlain Gold, Korres #6S

Gold Eyeliners: MUFE #9L, Guerlain Gold, Korres #6S, UD Eldorado,
Chanel Vegas Gold, MAC Handforged

Gold Eyeliners: UD Eldorado, Chanel Vegas Gold, MAC Handforged,
MAC Going for the Gold, NARS Campo de’ Fiori

Gold Eyeliners: NARS Campo de’ Fiori, UD Honey, Stila Koi, L’Oreal
HIP Gold Chrome, Milani Gold

My Wedding Makeup

I actually didn’t know what I was going to do quite yet for my makeup until I tested out Guerlain Turandot Eyeshadow Palette (which I reviewed last month).  I loved the way it looked on me, and the colors were perfect for autumn.  I knew at once that it was a happy medium that used color and not just neutrals, but it wasn’t too bold or smoky, as our ceremony was being held in the late morning.  I went with a gold eyeliner on the bottom lash line, because it brightened up my eyes, so naturally, Honey was my go-to, as it was one of my all-time favorites.   With the warm-toned eyes, I knew I’d be going with corals, which I tend to like on myself.   I wore the same eyes and cheeks all day long, but for our evening reception, I changed the lips to Chanel Dragon and Bobbi Brown Naked Plum.

I won’t have my photos back for approximately a month, but when I have some to share, I will be sure to share a few.  These are the only photos I managed to take in the last few minutes before we had to leave to go to the ceremony location.  I spent a half hour on makeup, even if I used a truck-load of products!

Eyes:

• NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base
• Guerlain Turandot Eyeshadow Palette
• Burberry Trench Eyeshadow
• Urban Decay Honey 24/7 Eyeliner
• Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Waterproof Mascara
• MAC Espresso Eyeshadow
• MAC Clear Brow Set

I applied a layer of primer on from lash line to brow bone.  Then, I applied the lighter plum eyeshadow on the inner third of the lid, followed by the darker brown eyeshadow on the outer third of the lid.  I patted the gold eyeshadow directly on the center of the lid and pulled it outwards and inwards to blend with the other two colors.  I used separate MAC 239 eyeshadow brushes for those three colors.  I swept on the darker plum shade into the crease and diffused it upwards using Make Up For Ever’s #17S crease brush.  Next, I took the MAC 239 again with the gold eyeshadow and patted it on the inner tear duct and then pulled it upwards over the inner crease.  I lined the lower lashes with Honey eyeliner.  I filled in brows using Espresso eyeshadow and MAC’s 266 brush, then combed through them with a clean mascara spoolie and set with brow gel.  To finish the look, I heavily applied Eyes to Kill mascara (waterproof, of course) to upper and lower lashes.

Face:

• Eve Pearl Moisturizing Primer
• Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer
• Guerlain Parure Gold (02 & 03)
• OCC Concealer (Y2)
• Cle de Peau Concealer (Beige Ochre)
• Guerlain Terracotta Light Touch Highlighter (02)
• Tom Ford Love Lust Blush
• MAC Sculpt Sculpting Powder
• Guerlain Parure de Nuit Pressed Powder & Blush
• Guerlain Teint Rose Pressed Meteorites

I applied the moisturizing primer first, just prior to applying my eye makeup, so it would have a chance to sink in.  After fifteen minutes or so, I applied the Mineral Veil primer, and I let that sink in for five to ten minutes.  I used one pump of #02 and half a pump of #03, then mixed them between my fingers, and dotted it all over the face.  I used Hourglass #2 Foundation Brush to blend and diffuse the foundation on the face and down the neck.  I applied two pats of Cle de Peau’s Concealer on my under eye area and blended just over the bridge of my nose.  I then patted OCC’s Concealer over that.  I finished the under eye area by lightly tapping Terracotta Light Touch to brighten.  To add color to cheeks, I tapped Love Lust blush on apples and blended towards temples with MAC’s 116 brush.  I lightly contoured the hollows of my cheeks with MAC Sculpt and MAC’s 168 brush.  I lightly swept on Parure de Nuit as a highlighter on cheek bones with MAC’s 165 brush.  To set everything into place, I used MAC’s 184 brush and Pressed Meteorites.

Lips:

• Guerlain Gems Rouge G Lipstick
• Cle de Peau #2 Lipgloss
• Bobbi Brown Citrus High Shimmer Lipgloss

I applied Gems lipstick onto lips with a lip brush.  I lightly patted Cle de Peau #2 on the center of the lower lips, then pressed lips together.  I finished by applying a full coat of Citrus and lightly pressing my lips together.

See more photos & swatches!

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!

Bronze Eyes: Colour 4 Eyeshadow Quad, Take 2!

Happy Monday!  Depending whether you’re on holiday or not, I suppose   I actually did this look on Saturday, but with all of the Riveting reviews, I decided to hold off on posting it until later on.

You will need the following…

• Eyes: MAC Soft Ochre Paint Pot (neutral beige base), MAC Stacked 2! Pigments (gold), MAC Manila Paper Eyeshadow (white-gold), MAC Aztec Brick Eyeshadow (copper), MAC Creole Beauty Eyeshadow (bronze), MAC Star Violet Eyeshadow (reddened purple), MAC Flip Eyeshadow (peachy-orange), MAC Ricepaper Eyeshadow (highlighter), MAC Penultimate Liner (black), Urban Decay Honey 24/7 Liner (gold), MAC Plushlash Mascara (black)
• Face: Kiehl’s Tinted Moisturizer (#2)
• Cheeks: MAC Springshine Blush Ombre (bronze)
• Lips: MAC Colour Me Coral Lipstick (frosty light coral), MAC Purple Rage Lipglass (reddened purple)
• 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 Stacked 2! pigment (the gold) all over the lid area. Using the 239, apply Manila Paper eyeshadow on the inner third of the eyelid. Next, apply Aztec Brick eyeshadow on the middle third of the eyelid and lightly blend with the inner corner. Darken the outer third of the lid with Creole Beauty eyeshadow, with the 239, on the outer corner and lid. Add depth to the crease by lightly tapping Star Violet eyeshadow with the 226. Lightly tap and brush Flip eyeshadow directly above the crease to soften. To finish the eyeshadow look, sweep Ricepaper eyeshadow as a highlighter on the brow bone. Bring everything together by applying Honey eyeliner on the lower lash line, Penultimate on the upper lash line, and sweeping lashes with Plushlash mascara.

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

For lips, apply Colour Me Coral lipstick first, and then layer Purple Rage lipglass for a complementing lip.

Check out more photos!

Burnished Neutrals: Coppers and Browns

I gotta tell you, this look was a pain in the behind to photograph. You just can’t see as much color variation in the close-up photos as you typically can. I took photos in a different spot in my house than I normally do (on the floor, ha), so I won’t be doing that again in case that alone was it! (I, as silly as I can be, removed my makeup prior to uploading photos to ensure everything was photographed right and tight!) At least, though, the full face photos turned out and show the look the way it should  

Happy Friday! What are your Friday plans?  The boyfriend and I are celebrating Valentine’s Day early (we always do it early!) at my very favorite steakhouse.  I’m already salivating over what’s to come, LOL!

You will need the following…

• Eyes: Urban Decay Primer Potion (eyeshadow base), Urban Decay Drink Me, Eat Me (Sin) Eyeshadow (champagne pink), Urban Decay Muchness (X) Eyeshadow (melon), Urban Decay Queen (Last Call) Eyeshadow (burgundy), Urban Decay Mushroom Eyeshadow (taupe brown), MAC Shroom Eyeshadow (neutral highlighter), Urban Decay 1999 24/7 Liner (dark red-purple), Urban Decay Honey 24/7 Liner (gold), MAC Plushlash Mascara (black)
• Face: Korres Tinted Moisturizer (Honey)
• Cheeks: Dolce & Gabbana Peach Blush (soft beige-pink)
• Lips: Guerlain Orange Sequin (#342) KissKiss Strass Lipstick (coral-brown), Le Metier de Beaute Papaya Creme Lipgloss (sheer gold)
• Brushes: 226 (fluffy crease brush), 249 (flat, firm brush), 239 (fluffy shadow brush), 116 (dense blush brush)
• Substitutes: N/A

For eyes, start by applying Primer Potion as your eyeshadow base all over the eye area with the 249. Using the 239, apply Drink Me, Eat Me eyeshadow on the inner third of the eyelid. Next, apply Muchness eyeshadow on the middle third of the eyelid and lightly blend with the inner corner. Darken the outer third of the lid with Queen eyeshadow with the 239, gently brushing it into the lower crease. Add more depth to the crease by applying Mushroom eyeshadow with the 226. Lightly blend Mushroom eyeshadow, with the 239, on the outer corner and lid. Lightly tap and brush Muchness eyeshadow directly above the crease to soften. To finish the eyeshadow look, sweep Shroom eyeshadow as a highlighter on the brow bone. Bring everything together by applying 1999 eyeliner on the lower lash line and Honey liner on the lower water line. Finish by sweeping lashes with Plushlash mascara.

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

For lips, apply Orange Sequin lipstick first, and then layer Papaya Creme lipgloss for a complementing lip.

Check out more photos!

Smoky Eyes: Tarnished Gold

A tarnished gold, smoky eye… for school? Sure, why not! Let’s go with that. Wanted to post this before I ran off to class in a few…  that is, if I don’t fall asleep before it’s time to go!  Must. Press. On!

By the way, anyone else going to the Spring Colour Forecast unveiling party at MAC @ Valley Fair (in California) on February 2nd?  I’ll be there at 7pm, so if you see me, say hi

You will need the following…

• Eyes: Urban Decay Primer Potion (eyeshadow base), Urban Decay Wonderland (Maui Wowie) Eyeshadow (tarnished gold), Urban Decay Mushroom Eyeshadow (brown-gray), Urban Decay Mad Hatter (Twice Baked) Eyeshadow (dark brown), Urban Decay Jabberwocky (Oil Slick) Eyeshadow (sparkly black), MAC Femme-fi Eyeshadow (neutral highlighter), Urban Decay Stash 24/7 Liner (antique gold), Urban Decay Honey 24/7 Liner (gold), MAC Plushlash Mascara (black)
• Face: Kiehl’s Tinted Moisturizer (Medium)
• Cheeks: Chanel In Love Blush (soft warm pink), Guerlain Beige Lumineux Meteorite Powder (fleshy beige highlighter)
• Lips: Guerlain Beige Mousseline (#340) KissKiss Strass Lipstick (sparkling beige), Guerlain Champagne Pearl (#847) KissKiss Gloss (sheer beige)
• 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 Primer Potion as your eyeshadow base all over the eye area with the 249. Using the 239, apply Wonderland eyeshadow on the inner half of the eyelid. Next, apply Mushroom eyeshadow on the middle third of the eyelid and lightly blend with the inner corner. Darken the outer third of the lid with Mushroom eyeshadow with the 239, gently brushing it into the lower crease. Lightly blend Mad Hatter eyeshadow, with the 239, on the outer corner and lid. To deepen the crease, apply Jabberwocky eyeshadow with the 226 into the crease. To finish the eyeshadow look, sweep Femme-fi eyeshadow as a highlighter on the brow bone. Bring everything together by applying Stash eyeliner on the lower lash line and Honey liner on the lower water line. Finish by sweeping lashes with Plushlash mascara.

For cheeks, apply In Love blush to the apples of the cheeks and sweep upwards towards the temple with the 116. Highlight cheeks with a light dusting of Beige Lumineux Meteorite Powder with the 165.

For lips, apply Beige Mousseline lipstick first, and then layer Champagne Pearl lipgloss for a complementing lip.

Check out more photos!