Posts tagged eyeshadow
Sheer & Pretty: Marcelle Chic Plum.
Jul 10th
It seems that drugstore eyeshadows are now rarely seen in my makeup stash. The only cheap eyeshadows I have now are the 88-colour palette, and maybe a few L’Oreal and Annabelle singles. The Wet & Dry Eyeshadow in Chic Plum ($10.50) is the first eyeshadow I am trying by Marcelle. You may have seen her in action in my Soft Purple FOTD.
Pigmentation Level
When applied dry, Chic Plum leaves just a whisper of colour on the lids. If you’re one who likes a more natural look to your eye makeup, then I would recommend this in a heartbeat.
Using it wet pumps up the colour intensity; the shimmery pink side especially becomes 100% opaque. It is the most stunning frosty pink I have ever seen! 
The grayed purple side is more stubborn; it is still not opaque after a few layers.
Staying Power
I have oily eyelids and so I never go without my eye primer, so keep that in mind. I didn’t experience any fading or creasing with these eyeshadows. They stayed put from the morning until I take them off in the evening. That’s pretty impressive, especially for that low price tag!
Blendability
The shimmery pink side is easily blendable, and that’s to be expected of all shimmery eyeshadows. The grayed purple — again — is harder to work with. I find that I have to take my time to blend it out in the crease, and I find it even more difficult to blend when foiled (applied wet).
The Low Down
If you are going for natural, sheer makeup, then this well-coordinated duo will give you the most bang for your buck. Those who aren’t colour shy (like me) might be a little disappointed about the intensity of that grayed purple. Make sure to have a good crease blending brush, or at least some time and patience. I like it, but I’m not in love. Rating: B-.
Pictures and Swatches
Swatches: shimmery pink (dry / wet), grayed purple (dry / wet)
Disclosure: This product was sent by Groupe Marcelle for consideration only.
Smink Mineral Makeup: Tundra Collection Swatches and Review.
Jun 7th
I had the opportunity to try out some stuff from Tval Skincare. Although their name suggests a skincare line, they also have their own line of mineral makeup called Smink. Here are some swatches of the eyeshadow pigments from the Tundra Spring 2008 (!) collection:
Nancy Oh! / Bonavista / Winterton / Barren / Changeling / Mummer / Figgy Duff / Little Heart’s Ease
(click to enlarge)
Ingredients
Mica (CI 77491), Zinc oxide, Titanium dioxide (CI 77891), Magnesium stearate. May contain Iron oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Chromium oxide greens (CI 77289) and/or Ultramarines (CI 77007)
Eyeshadow Pigment Reviews
Nancy Oh! is a dark plum with a slight blue duochrome. The colour payoff is excellent, and it looks even better foiled or applied over a base.
Bonavista is a very shimmery mid-tone silver. I think it would make a rockin’ grey smokey eye.
Winterton is a white with very fine shimmer. It is one of the smoothest pigments in the collection.
Barren is a light olive with fine gold sparkles. This is the least pigmented of the bunch so I don’t like using this dry. I find that the texture was also on the chalky side.
Changeling is a greyish aqua with barely there gold sparkles. I had the same problems with this as Barren — it was quite chalky. It’s also a colour that is difficult for me to pull off, so it might be better suited for those with fairer skin tones.
Mummer is an incredible chocolate brown. It is very pigmented and smooth with or without a base. Definitely one of my favourites.
Figgy Duff is a shimmery beige. It works well as a highlighter, and it is just as smooth as Mummer.
Little Heart’s Ease is a shimmery rosy pink. This colour screams Springtime, and its pretty colour is well-complemented by its smooth texture and excellent payoff.
Trussle is a taupe that I unfortunately didn’t receive. We love taupe! I’m going to look for a swatch of this online… or maybe buy it.
The Low Down
Overall I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of these pigments. At only $6 per 5 mL jar, these pigments are a good deal considering the high quality pigments you are getting. I did not have any problems with fallout when using these.
I recommend: the really delicious neutrals like Winterton, Mummer and Figgy Duff. If you like colour, get Nancy Oh! and Little Heart’s Ease.
Look for: Trussle, the taupe. This reminder is for me, anyway.
Skip on: Barren and Changeling.
Disclosure: These products were sent to me by Tval Skincare for consideration only.
Sassy Minerals Swatches: Round Two!
May 19th
I felt so bad about my Sassy Minerals swatches last time that I decided to redo them. I hope these are worth the wait! 
Click to enlarge them if you wish.
My personal faves: Off Kilter, Jinx (worn here), Spin The Bottle, Chick Flick, First Kiss.
Which ones do you like?
Swatches: NARS Cordura Eyeshadow Duo.
Apr 18th
I’m trying to calm myself down as I write this post, as I just swatched NARS Cordura Eyeshadow Duo. This was part of my beauty spree at Sephora’s 15% off sale. And boy, she is drop dead gorgeous.
NARS Cordura Eyeshadow Duo
While I love bright looks, most of the time I am wearing something more wearable like browns, peaches, and golds. I just know Cordura would make the most beautiful chocolate smoky eyes.
The eyeshadows, like most NARS powders, pack amazing pigment and are very finely milled. The lighter eyeshadow has the finest micro shimmer. The deeper one has more apparent shimmers, not as smooth as the other, but is still buttery enough to make me go oooooh!
How about some swatches?
You need this, and you know it.
I can’t even begin to explain my love for these eyeshadows. No wonder I’ve been dying to get it for about a year now. That’s right, a year. I guess this is the start of our happy ending. Rating: A+.
P.S. I’m using a new camera that I bought recently, the Canon G11. So far I kinda love it! 
It’s so precise that it’s picking up my fine arm hair LOL.
Annabelle Painted Love: Spring is Coming!
Mar 10th
It’s warming up in Toronto, and that could only mean one thing: Spring is right around the corner! Spring means goodbye salty boots, hello flowy skirts! I was so excited when Isabel (PR rep) offered to send me the new eyeshadows by Annabelle. What better way to start the season than some new makeup to play with. Yay!
Clockwise from top left: Helium, Pinked, Nymphet, Toxic Garden
Note: the eyeshadows were swatched heavily so that you can see each eyeshadow’s full potential. I will talk about pigmentation of the eyeshadows separately below.
I first read about these eyeshadows from Rae of theNotice and was definitely intrigued. It was also when I described Toxic Garden as “booger green.” (Isabel, I’m still both impressed and embarrassed that you caught that comment.)
Helium
Helium is a light shimmery neutral. This one actually contains some peachy pink glitter and not that finely milled. At first glance it looked a little bit like MAC All That Glitters, but Helium is lighter and more glittery. If you’re like me and not a fan of the glitter, you can blow or tap it off. You’ll still be left with plenty of pigment and sheen.
Pinked
Pinked is a bright pink with low shimmer. It’s not something that I would usually use on my eyes, but I think it would be a fabulous bright blush. It is very pigmented, but it’s easy to work with; you can definitely apply this with a light hand.
Nymphet
Nymphet is a light shimmery turquoise. This is so finely milled and pigmented; definitely the best of the four. Its texture feels like the MAC’s Veluxe Pearl eyeshadows, which I LOVE! Because it’s cool-toned, I don’t usually wear colours like it, but of course I have to try! I think it would look awesome paired with a bright purple.
Toxic Garden
Last but not least, Toxic Garden is booger green. LOL, just kidding. Well, sort of. Yucky in the pan, this colour applies sheer and appears more of a golden green on me. I’ve paired it with a dark green and a greenish taupe, and it didn’t look at all like booger green! You might even describe it as pretty. *gasp*
All in all, I think Annabelle did a great job with these eyeshadows. My least favourite of the bunch is Helium because of the glitter. If I were to recommend just one, it would have to be Nymphet. It’ll be perfect for Spring!
