Written Reviews

I don't like to overdramatize or anything and it is "only makeup" but when I first saw this on Temptalia, I nearly fainted from how gorgeous this looked. The Dior sales assistant was supposed to phone me when this came in and she never did! I finally called to learn it had come in and they only had one left and she'd been on vacation, blah blah blah! I was able to get up there and get the last one (good thing or she'd have been dealing with an irate and borderline hysterical customer, "only makeup" my eye!). It is early days yet but this is such a beautiful palette for fall. Deep greens and bronzes and a burnished teal. I hyperventilate just looking at it. I love it so much I even wore it to the gym this morning - insane, I know - just because I really wanted to wear it! It is a pricey palette but, to my surprise, only 1 or 2 dollars more in Canada than the price shown here at Temptalia for the US. Useless sponges and I've never been crazy about Dior's packaging but these shadows - perfection!

Talk about versatile. Is Club dark green? Brown? Grey/brown? Red/brown? All of the aforementioned? This shadow is (almost) unique and changes colour depending on how much you blend it, what parts/planes of the eye you blend it onto and even what other shadows you pair it with (if you decide to pair it with anything). It's one of MAC's terrific "duo-chrome" shadows and while it's a bit of an "exteme" colour, I've also found it very wearable (and I am well past my first flush of youth!)

I feel like Bows & Curtseys is often unfairly maligned because when it first came out in a palette with A Tartan Tale, it was dreadful. But clearly it was reformulated when it came out in Fashion Flower (the version I have) because in that "incarnation", it is a stunning deep blackened green with sort of teal undertones and it applies beautifully - not patchy or dry at all, but smooth and with even and deep pigmentation. What a shame they couldn't achieve the same with Groundcover from the same collection!

I was SO excited to find this last year at a CCO. It's hard to describe the colour - it's one of those dark blends of somewhat greenish grey, black and brown. Very sultry however you wear it - either smudged on the lids, close to the lashes, or as a crease defining/outer V shade. Applied more lightly, it can make a nice daytime smokey eye look.

I got this stunning silvery taupe shadow in the original Balmbini palette. It is only available in palettes - not on its own as a single eye shadow. As a result, I'm a bit "stingy" using it since I really don't want to use it up. TheBalm would be very smart, indeed, to add this to their line of regular eye shadows.

All About Alex is a richly pigmented dark greyed khaki. Makes a great smokey eye and is a beautiful autumn colour. Pairs well with golds and bronzed brown shades (like Patina) as well as with greys and more traditional taupes. Lots of product for the price, too. The colour and pigmentation put brands like MAC to shame. I'd never have even known about this brand or this colour were it not for Christine and the Tempalia blog.

Why did I ever buy this? Well, I know why - I saw a favourite beauty blogger use it and felt I just "had" to have it so ordered it online (which I hate) since it was a Pro colour and not available at the MAC counters near me. This is one of their Matte shades (not to be confused with Matte2, which is fabulous) so it is patchy and hard to blend, like most of the shades with that finish. I hardly ever use it and shake my head about having purchased it, especially when I've got Typographic and so many other dark grey shades like this but with better texture.

I am so glad I got this LE shade a good 3 years ago! The SA tried telling me that since I had Satin Taupe, I didn't really need Prepped for Glamour as they're dupes for one another. I am glad I didn't listen because while they're close, they're not the same and I find Prepped for Glamour a lot more wearable and just "easy" to wear. Very good eye shadow.

Blanc Type is one of the few remaining Matte2 finish shadows. This is a fabulous eye shadow finish/formulation and so it's no surprise that Blanc Type is a "must have" in many people's collections. On me, this is a perfect matte highlight. It's basically the colour of my lids or a bit lighter so it is terrific for blending out other colours or toning down anything a bit too extreme or harsh looking, if you've been a bit heavy handed. It's also one of those shades (there are many) that looks great and classic on its own, perhaps with something just a few shades darker to contour the crease very subtly. On a side note, Mac would be wise to expand the Matte2 range with some new shades, rather than trimming it down. Some of their best-loved, most popular shadows are Matte2 finishes.

I put off buying All That Glitters for the longest time figuring that it was too orange/warm toned for me (WRONG!) and that since I also had Naked Lunch, I didn't also need ATG (WRONG again!). This is very much like Naked Lunch but deeper in tone and makes a bit more of an impact.

I got a huge sample of this pigment when it first came out (the MAC gals where I shop are pretty generous). This is a beautiful dark, smokey grey/brown but there is fallout and there are so many pressed shadows that are similar in colour but much easier to use so I didn't buy the full size. It's just a bit too messy for the end result.

I got a very generous sample of this pigment years ago and I have loved it ever since. A beautiful peachy nude just loaded with sheen. Yes, there is fallout with this but the colour is so lovely that I find it worth the hassle (can't say that about all of MAC's pigments). With all the repromotes MAC does, how I wish they would FINALLY repromote Jardin Aires. I'd be at the store in a flash to get it!

This is such a wearable colour. I like how it evens out the colour of my lids so that anything else I apply with it looks better. This looks great on its own on the lid or with a subtle brown (Omega, Wedge, UD Naked) to give a bit of crease definition. Makes for a really nice work look - looks like you're not wearing eye makeup but are just blessed with great good looks. Bonus with this is there is little fallout and any that might occur is basically invisible (at least on fairer toned skin).

I've had Cocomotion for years. It's in the "old" packaging so it represents a great value compared with the newer, smaller containers (less product but same price!). Cocomotion is a stunningly rich golden bronze shade. Pairs well with so many neutral shadows to bring some dazzle to a look. Works great as a "one shadow" product in summer-time. And it's perfect for fall or really for just about any time of the year.

MAC brushes are not cheap to purchase but the 217 really is a must-have real workhorse of a brush and worth the somewhat hefty price. It is great for an all over wash of colour; it adapts to work as a crease brush and it's hard to beat this one for blending eyeshadows for a smooth transition between colours and also to get the shape you want. A great brush. Don't be put off by the white hairs. A bit of baby shampoo or gentle foaming face wash gets it pristine again, time after time.

If this brush is truly $15 in the US then I am buying 2 more of them because they are just over $50 in Canada (as of summer 2013)! But this is a darned good, multi-purpose brush - great for applying liquid foundations and getting into every nook and cranny because of the small size. It's small size also makes it ideal for applying highlighter in a controlled manner so you get it just where you want it. It's perfect for buffing out powder blush to get a truly natural flush of colour. I even like it for doing a final blending of the edges of my eye shadow. If this weren't s pricey, I'd buy another one or two. If they really are only 15 bucks in the US (or even 20), I'm going to do just that next month!

I never thought I would shell out quite so much for a foundation primer but this one is SO good that I won't ever be without it. It helps my foundation go on so beautifully without settling into the pores beside my nose (that seems to be my problem area). Foundation wears so much better when I apply this first. And it has a sunscreen. As pricey as it is, I find that it's worth it (though I'd do a happy dance if the price came down $10!)

A large part of the reason I got the 15th Anniversary Palette (beyond the great value) was to get this colour which is a beautiful deep purple with a lush sheen. It leans more blue than red, so it works well for me and it's just beautiful. Pair it with a matte grey shadow and it's easy to wear/more work friendly but it's also great if you like more extreme looks.

I am so glad I got this shadow when it was available. A beautiful, shimmer taupe/grey that never fails to look good and is a great basis for a stunning smokey eye.

A great LE shadow from MAC's Starflash collection. It is such a stunning champagne that just glows. How I wish they'd bring back Starflash and bring back this shadow!