Written Reviews

This is one of my favourite dark brown shadows from MAC. All of the Peacocky/Megametal shadows came in those very large pans and while they're a good value, it really is a HECK of a lot of eye shadow for someone like me, who has yet to finish any eye shadow! But Centre Stage is a rich, warm brown that isn't so warm that it leans red. Perfect as a lid colour or for the crease and I also like using it as a smokey, smudgy "liner" under my lower lashes. It is just beautiful and it's really a shame that these shadows aren't repromoted or that they weren't made permanent.

I love neutral eye shadows and within that classification, I especially love taupes. Cargo is the newest addition to my happy little taupe family. I tried to buy this back in the fall but it was sold out. I got my husband to pick this up for me when he was in the US golfing. I've only had this for a few days so far but I've worn it every single day. It's such a beautiful colour - a silvery plum taupe - and so easy to wear. Looks flattering and perfect all on its own but can easily be combined with other shadows for a more complex look. So glad I finally have this (and have a husband who's willing to travel the aisles of Ulta for me!)

So it may not be the most exciting colour combo in Nars's range but Tokyo is such a great duo for mornings when you're in a rush, don't want to have to spend time blending and blending, let alone thinking about what to put on the lid or in the crease or in the outer V. While these aren't deep or vibrant colours, they still are highly pigmented so they do a lot to make my lids look better and more "done" than if I don't wear anything at all. And they will mix with just about any other shadows you own if you do want to work in a 3rd shadow to define your crease or deepen the outer V, etc. Tokyo is a simple and sophisticated duo and very versatile.

I discovered Tarina Tarantino thanks to this site. I'd never really noticed her products before but then I read Christine's review and "look" with this palette and had to have it. This is, quite simply, one of the most perfect eye shadow 5 pan palettes ever. It is so flattering. The colours have been well-chosen and paired so well. In reality, you could take a week long trip (business or vacation) and take only this eye shadow palette and have everything you need. I was a bit leery of the orange shadow but even that shade is flattering and wearable for me. My only regret is that I didn't get some of the other palettes before they were discontinued at Sephora. I paid full price for this one and it was worth every cent, but it would have been nice to have got one or 2 others when they were discounted.

I got this palette when Sephora was clearing out Tarina Tarantino's products at greatly reduced prices. I'd wanted this palette since first seeing it here at Temptalia but didn't really need it just for the sake of 2 shades in it (Dandy Lion especially, and Very Wicked). But at 40% off, it was too good to pass up. This might not be the most versatile and "work day looks" type palette but I love it. All the shadows are typical of TT's eye shadows - pigmented, smooth, blendable - and I do find some of the shades more wearable than you might expect at first. My only "problem" is Glinda's Kiss, which seems to turn sort of greenish on me rather than the "iridescent white" it is described as.

I've already reviewed the full duo but I also wanted to do a review of this shade on its own to let others know that this is a perfect dupe for Urban Decay Mauie Wowie eye shadow. I have MW in both the BOS3 and in its new formula that was released as a single. I bought the 2nd one because the first was basically unwearable because the non-stop fall out from the rough glitter was simply uncontrollable - you could tap your brush til the cows came home; you could press rather than brush it on....it didn't matter what I tried - there would always be fallout throughout the day. So I bought the new formula, having heard it was better. It was somewhat better but still not an easy shadow to wear. In the Kauai duo, however, you get all the golden glow and gorgeousness of MW but without any fallout at all. How wonderful is THAT?

This duo is just as wonderful as Christine described it in her review. I was so delighted to find it available at Sephora. Both shadows are so pigmented and smooth so they apply beautifully. The pairing is very flattering and versatile too, which isn't something you can say about all of Nars's shadow pairings. The purple side is a beautiful, feminine clear purple (no "bruised eyes" look with this) but what I'm even more delighted with is the champagne side as it's identical to UD's Mauie Wowie but without the uncontrollable glitter fallout.

I got a full sized tube of Shadow Insurance with the Too Faced Enchanted Glamourland palette quite a few years ago now. Until then, I'd always used either MAC Painterly or UD Primer Potion (the original and then I started adding the tinted ones). I was more than happy with the primers I had but since I got this for free, I figured I would give it a try and, in the process, I found yet another excellent eye shadow primer. TFSI spreads beautifully and the tiniest dot is all you need for all day lasting power and it dries and sets quickly so you don't have to wait to apply your eye makeup. There is no tugging or dryness. Every now and then, if I haven't used it for a while, the product does seem to separate but rolling the tube around a bit and sort of "massaging" the product inside seems to take care of that. I would not hesitate to purchase this again.

I love the colours that have been put into this palette - a very wide range of neutrals from light to dark, from cool to neutral to warm, from matte to pearl/frost. I love the hit of colour provided by Candied Violet. I do have 2 complalints, though. First, the names of colours aren't printed on the palette (as they are in the Naked palettes, for example) or even on the bottom of the palette because who can keep hold of those flimsy cellophane things, let alone refer back to them as you're doing your eyes? And secondly, why the heck would they put a chocolate scent in eye shadows? I realize it is in keeping with the theme but these are eye products! We don't need them with fragrance!

When I saw that this had moved into the "Good byes" (meaning being discontinued) section of MAC's website, I rushed out the next day to purchase it at my local MAC counter. This was one of the shades I always figured I'd get "one day" but since I already had Keep Your Cool and they look SO similar on the eye, I figured there was no rush...til I saw that it was on its way out (I already missed Fresh Flare - another one of the original Pro Longwear shades that just "vanished" all of a sudden). I am so glad I got this. Despite the name, this isn't a really BLACK shadow - it's more a very deep blackened brown with antique gold shimmer. Great as a contour/crease colour, obviously but also makes a great smoky liner look and is generally just really versatile and wearably classic.

I just got this yesterday but already I am really in love with this lipstick. While it's not "long wearing", the wear for something this light and creamy isn't bad. This new "huggable" formula feels really nice on the lips. And this colour is just outstanding -flattering, wearable, beautiful red. It's a shame this isn't a permanent product.

422 was one of my first Inglot purchases, after wandering quite by accident into the Inglot store in downtown Montreal. This shade really caught my eye as I was trying to find 3 shadows to fill a small 3-pan palette. This is a gorgeous bronzey brown shade that is very wearable. It has the "Pearl" finish that is my favourite of all the Inglot finishes - beautiful sheen without being too glittery for day-time/work and with no glitter fallout. One of my favourite shadows to wear any time.

"Natural Beauty" was my first Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush purchase (I've since acquired a 2nd one - more peachy toned - in a palette) and I absolutely love it. I was unsure whether to get Dollface, Amused or some of the better known shades but I am so glad I got this one. It's a deep, slightly berry-toned pink and is the perfect shade for me (not that this will deter me from buying Amused or Dollface at some point) and I probably wear this blush 90% of the time. It looks right no matter what makeup I'm wearing because it is basically my natural "blush" but intensified. This buffs out and blend beautifully and is very long-wearing. Tarte has a real winner in the formulation of these blushes.

I bought Rose Diamond on a whim. I didn't really need it but a part of me had been craving it for years, in spite of the fact that I have similar products and I rarely wear glittery stuff on my face. But, as I say, I'd longed for this for years as "totally don't need but would really like to own" product so when I got a $20 off voucher from Sephora recently, I bought this. It is incredibly pretty to look at and to use as well and in spite of how glittery it seems, it really doesn't apply garishly at all - the sheen or glitter is pretty subdued. I've worn this in the daytime and the results haven't been over the top. I like that I can pick up any of the individual colours with a small brush to use a bit more intensely on my Cupid's Bow or inner corner.

I find this 4 pan palette to be pretty much exactly as Christine described it in her review, though I find some of the shades to be more silvery and cool leaning than warm but that could be because she and I have different skin tones. These shadows give a very elegant and sophisticated look. Pigmentation in 3 of the 4 shades is excellent but it is on the subtle side so you're not so likely to really overdo things unless you want to, since the shades are very to build up if you want a darker or more extreme look. The lightest shade is the only "disappointment" in terms of pigmentation - it's basically frost in a fairly sheer base but even so, it can be used to achieve a very nice look. I love the subtle elegance of the looks that this palette delivers.

I was almost a little shocked, when I first got this foundation, that something so lightweight and light in texture could actually be so effective at doing just what it says - giving the look of perfect skin. It is quick and easy to apply because it blends so beautifully. I dot it around my face and then buff or stipple it in with a brush (because it's so liquid-y, I think putting the foundation directly on the brush or even picking it up from the back of your hand or a makeup palette would waste too much of the product). In Canada, there are no claims about sun protection on this product - not on the packaging or on the tube. But this is such a terrific product that I'm willing to overlook that especially since I have several products - moisturizers and primers - that contain SPF and which I can use before applying this.

I am surprised by just how much I love Strike and how beautifully it flatters my dark brown eyes. I thought it would be one of the colours that would go unused in the palette but I love pairing it with Derailed applied lightly for a daytime look or more heavily for an evening out look.

I have this, of course, in the Vice2 palette but I sincerely hope that Urban Decay sees fit to release this as a single shadow as it is just a wonderful rich taupe with the most beautiful finish. Not that I've ever actually finished an eye shadow but I can see this being the first one to be finished in this palette and it would be good to be able to buy it on its own. Perfect colour!

This is an amazing palette from UD. What's surprising is just how versatile and wearable these shadows are (depending on what shades you put together) but you can also do some really "WOW factor" looks as well. I think it's a bit heavy on the black shadows (3 in one palette) especially since most of us already have at least one or 2 blacks that work well for us, and if you've got either of the Naked palettes, you are well supplied with black. But I can overlook this because I LOVE Poison (it reminds me a bit of MAC's Moonlight Night pigment when I look at it in some lights) - it is SO pigmented that I have to be really careful only to pick up the slightest amount, which is more than enough for my outer V and crease! Fortunately, this shadow blends and blends effortlessly so what you think it is going to be an alarming black splotch blends out to a lovely fading gradient of dark to light smoke. This palette has great highlight shades (matte and sheen) and some standout rich neutrals and eye-catching jewel tones. Strike, Stash and Derailed are probably my favourite shades simply because I do like neutrals but I love every shade in this palette and I am WAAAY older than UD's target market, I'm sure. This palette is so complete and so well packaged (in a nice, hard plastic case with a big mirror) that it is great for travel - you can have day and dramatic evening looks all from one palette. The brush isn't bad either - seems a bit different and a bit nicer than the one in Naked2.

While the left hand side of Cordura is a let-down for me and a struggle to use in a flattering way, the right hand/darker side is gorgeousness. A deep, dark, almost black brown with golden flecks, it is stunning. It does have fallout, though, especially if you really load up your brush (which is tempting to do if you want to get a really heavy deposit of colour when using this in place of liner or to enhance your upper lashes by smudging it into your lash line.