dimanche 4 septembre 2011

pimp your taupe a.k.a. cream shadow effect.


i truly appreciate a good taupe as it's the most easy colour to wear and flatters all skin tones. it goes along well with every look and subtly enhances your eyes by giving them more depth. taupe surely is one of the colours that is most often represented in my eyeshadow collection and is the colour i gravitate to when i don't know what to wear.
on the other hand it can get quite boring after a while and i long for some special effects, hues, shimmers in my taupes while still loving the colour. that is when i would pair them with colourful eyeshadow bases. layered over a coloured base instead of just the plain UDPP, the average taupe will get a special twist but stays perfectly wearable.
today i want to show you some of my favourite combinations of cream eyeshadow colour and common taupe eyeshadows, both satin and high shimmer finishes, and how the taupes will transform when you layer them.
surely this is something really basic, but i think it's still interesting to see how you can add little changes to a colour and make it look completely different.


Benefit Strut - MAC Constructivist - Paul & Joe Rock and Roll - Benefit Flatter Me - P2 Exotic Fantasy - Laura Mercier Topaz - MAC Mauvement



 with Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in Strut

Strut is a dark, steel grey with a blue tinge. it's perfect as a base to make your taupe smokier and more cool toned. the warm hue in the taupe will make a beautiful sheen/shimmer on the dark grey base, transforming the colour into a warm silver.

Laura Mercier Topaz - Topaz over Strut - Benefit CCS in Strut - Mauvement over Strut - MAC Mauvement



with MAC Paint Pot in Constructivist

Constructivist is a dark brown shade that will bring out the warm tones in your taupe creating a lot of depth in your brown smoky eye. as you can see the LM Topaz looks like a dark pearly cool brown shade over onstructivist while Mauvement becomes a intense golden bronzey brown.

Laura Mercier Topaz - Topaz over Constructivist - MAC Constructivist - Mauvement over Constructivist - MAC Mauvement



with Paul & Joe Rock and Roll Eye Gloss (gold side of the duo)

this sparkly sheer gold is a great base to bring out the golden tones in your taupe. it makes your shimmery taupe even more glistening and adds beautiful shimmer effects to the plain satin finish taupe, especially when you blend it out over that glistening base.

Laura Mercier Topaz - Topaz over Rock and Roll - P&J Rock and Roll - Mauvement over Rock and Roll - MAC Mauvement



with P2 Exotic Fantasy

despite the cheesy name this shimmery purple cream shadow is my favourite base colour when i want to add some complexity to a boring taupe. it tones down the warm hues in your taupe, making them more purply/plummy but still a neutral colour. it adds beautiful dimension to the shimmery taupes, almost like a duochrome shade and brings out an intensive, complex shimmer quality. i think this works with every bold purple cream shadow and will work as a great neutralizer if a shadow is too warm to flatter you.

Laura Mercier Topaz - Topaz over P2 - P2 Exotic Fantasy - Mauvement over P2 - MAC Mauvement



with Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in Flatter Me

Flatter Me is a tan colour with mauvy undertones. used as a base, it will push your taupes into a  mauvy direction. it will intensify the warm undertones of your taupe and is a great base if a colour seems too cool toned for you to wear.

Laura Mercier Topaz - Topaz over Flatter Me - Benefit CCS in Flatter Me - Mauvement over Flatter Me - MAC Mauvement



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jeudi 28 juillet 2011

Bare Minerals High Shine Eyecolor in Glisten.



sorry for being rather MIA the last days and the lack of posts!
now i'm back into blogging and have so many things to share with you - starting with the Bare Minerals High Shine Eyecolor in Glisten.
it's a loose shadow that comes in a 90ies style applicator-in-a-tube-packaging. it looks nice but is a total mess to use. it has a spring mechanism so it will pop up after screwing it open. the applicator is huge and everytime i'm taking it out of the tube some product will fly around.
Glisten is a highly metallic taupe with pale antique gold sheen. it's really a chameleon colour that looks taupe or gold depending on the angle and light you look at it. i don't have a similar colour in my stash.
since i don't like to use the big foam applicator i tried to take the product with a brush from there but this seems ineffective. it's really the best way to get the shadow on your eyelid using the applicator, with it you will get the most opaque and metallic finish,  and then work out the edges with your brushes/tools.
on the downside there is a lot of fall out with it, so i would strongly recommend to apply the foundation after your eye make up.
it has a great staying power and keeps the foil-like shine over the whole day without creasing or fading. the reflective shine creates a bright look but i would need to frame it with a warmer shade to balance it out.
i paid 18$ for this on ebay (shipping included) and it contains only 1.5g. i think Bare Minerals products are always quite overpriced as they usually contain only a small amount of product.


Bare Minerals Glisten swatched using the sponge applicator, you see that it applies quite messy and looks different in the pics.


tihilw
i applied Glisten on the lid and framed it with Twinks eyeshadow from MAC. eyeliner was Urban Decay Roach.
MAC Powersurge on the lower lashline.



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samedi 9 juillet 2011

all that glitters IS gold. at least here and now.


so after quite a long phase of gold eyeshadow obsession i want to sum it up for you in a comparison post with swatches of all of my new goldy acquisitions but also pre-existing golds of my stash.
i thought it would be nice to pick out some other goldy products for cheeks, lips and nails too to coordinate and compare.
i've already reviewed/swatched most of these products so i've put many links for you to easily get more information if you like.


first, let's start with the goldy blushes & highlighters

NARS Albatross - NARS Luster - NARS Orgasm - Cargo Rome
NARS Albatross - NARS Luster - NARS Orgasm - Cargo Rome
NARS Albatross - NARS Luster - NARS Orgasm - Cargo Rome

NARS Albatross normally is too yellow - gold for me as a highlighter, but in the summer it looks good on a natural tan and when applied very lightly combined with some bronzer.

NARS Luster is one of my favourite blushes by NARS, i like that bronzy peach and the fine duochrome gold shimmer.
NARS Orgasm - a classic. looks like a true pink on me with a strong gold shimmer. i like that the gold sheen is not too fine like some other blushes (Hot Mama i'm looking at you!) that would look greasy and emphasize on enlarged pores.
Cargo Rome is a beautiful pink coral with gold duochrome. love it for a summery flush. this looks great on deeper skin tones and tanned skin.
 

gold cream shadows

P2 Touch of Paradise - MAC Chilled on Ice - Giorgio Armani #6
P2 Touch of Paradise - MAC Chilled on Ice - Giorgio Armani #6
P2 Touch of Paradise - MAC Chilled on Ice - Giorgio Armani #6

P2 Touch of Paradise is a cream eyeshadow of their summer collection last year. it's a nice warm gold with metallic finish and has a good staying power.
MAC Chilled on Ice Paint Pot was released in their Cham Pale collection winter 2010, a pale white gold with gold microglitter. it looks great as a base colour for duochrome eyeshadow looks.
Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Silk Eyeshadow #6 is a hybrid of loose powder and cream shadow, so i chose to put it into the row with the creams. a great golden green bronze with an amazing staying power. my new favourite texture for summer.


gold loose shadows

second row: Bare Minerals True Gold - MAC Mauvement - Illamasqua Ore
MAC Vanilla - MAC Sunnydaze - MAC Gold Mode - MAC Rose Gold -Bare Minerals True Gold - MAC Mauvement - Illamasqua Ore
MAC Vanilla - MAC Sunnydaze - MAC Gold Mode - MAC Rose Gold -Bare Minerals True Gold - MAC Mauvement - Illamasqua Ore



if you like shimmery gold shades, pigments and loose shadows are for you. they give the most amazing shimmer effects. 
MAC's Vanilla for example, i like to use to blend out very warm and intense gold shadows because it's white and pink duochrome will help to make the gold colour less harsh but it's gold sheen will melt into that colour better. 
MAC Mauvement is one of my favourite pigments. it's shimmer is very complex and just stunning.
MAC Rose Gold is my recent find - i need a full size of this bronze metallic gold. 
Illamasqua Ore and Bare Minerals True Gold are highly sparkly and shimmery and two very christmas or party appropiate shades.


gold eyeshadows


first row: Rouge Bunny Rouge Abyssinian Catbird - Catrice Mr. Copper's Fields - Essence Party All Night - Stila Sparkle - NARS Exotic Dance - Flormar #14 - MAC Patina

Rouge Bunny Rouge Abyssinian Catbird - Catrice Mr. Copper's Fields - Essence Party All Night - Stila Sparkle - NARS Extoic Dance - Flormar #14 - MAC Patina
second row: MAC Go - Make Up Atelier Paris Patina Gold - Kosmetik Kosmo Grüngold - MAC Mayhem - NARS Etrusque - Lord&Berry Seta Red Gold - Make Up Atelier Paris Nacre Orange - Kosmetik Kosmo Braungold - Stila 14kt




MAC Go - Make Up Atelier Paris Patina Gold - Kosmetik Kosmo Grüngold - MAC Mayhem - NARS Etrusque - Lord&Berry Seta Red Gold - Make Up Atelier Paris Nacre Orange - Kosmetik Kosmo Braungold - Stila 14kt

gold eyeshadows are the core of this post ;) but you see that they are quite different, aren't they?  
Rouge Bunny Rouge Abyssinian Catbird has a great texture and metallic finish. a good shade to darken the outer corner in bronze/gold eyeshadow looks but also for a dark gold smokey eye.
Stila Sparkle is a very wearable bronze gold with taupe hints.
NARS Exotic Dance eyeshadow duo (here only the gold shade shown) is also one of the everyday-golds. not too warm and rather sheer.
MAC Patina (is one of my favourite MAC shadows) and Flormar #14 both have a beautiful pink sheen and are rather cool toned golds.
MAC Mayhem is a very rich bronze gold, luckily it's not too orange on me and is perfect for an intense gold/bronze eye.
NARS Etrusque is my sentimental favourite of all of them. the reason why i acquired many of the gold shadows i'm showing you here - i suddenly needed to have it but since it wasn't available at that time i just tried to get hold of dupes. well, you see that none of my golds are dupes to Etrusque, so i'm even happier that i own the original now.


gold lipglosses

MAC Luminary - MAC Nymphette - Hourglass Fortune - Hourglass Lush - Laura Mercier Petal - Chanel Twinkle
MAC Luminary - MAC Nymphette - Hourglass Fortune - Hourglass Lush - Laura Mercier Petal - Chanel Twinkle
MAC Luminary - MAC Nymphette - Hourglass Fortune - Hourglass Lush - Laura Mercier Petal - Chanel Twinkle

gold shimmering glosses are my favourites of this kind, of these i like MAC Nymphette the best even though i really dislike MAC's lipglass texture.


gold nail polishes

P2 frankenpolish (formery Glory) - Butter London West End Wonderland - Catrice In The Bronx - MNY 125A - Essence Sparkling Champagner - China Glaze White Cap - Nubar 2010 - Estée Lauder Extravagant Pearl - MAC Soirée - YSL Pink Gold - frankenpolish - NARS Orgasm
P2 frankenpolish (formery Glory) - Butter London West End Wonderland - Catrice In The Bronx - MNY 125A - Essence Sparkling Champagner - China Glaze White Cap - Nubar 2010 - Estée Lauder Extravagant Pearl - MAC Soirée - YSL Pink Gold - frankenpolish - NARS Orgasm
only in the shadow you can really see the effect of China Glaze White Cap and Nubar 2010


and now come the forgotten golds ;)

products i forgot to include in my initial photo-session (some even twice ^^)

Rouge Bunny Rouge Sea Of Showers - Guerlain Terra Inca - Jemma Kidd Rose Gold - MAC Style
Rouge Bunny Rouge Sea Of Showers - Guerlain Terra Inca - Jemma Kidd Rose Gold - MAC Style
Rouge Bunny Rouge Sea Of Showers - Guerlain Terra Inca - Jemma Kidd Rose Gold - MAC Style

Rouge Bunny Rouge Sea Of Showers is a brilliant liquid highlighter. it's very concentrated, so you only need a tiny bit for a beautiful warm glow. i also love to mix it into dull foundations.
Guerlain Terra Inca is a beautiful powder (love the scent!), but a bit tricky to apply. since it's so highly shimmery, it can easily emphasize on enlarged pores and make you look greasy. remembers me of MAC MSFs.
Jemma Kidd Rose Gold is my new cream highlight. after so much hype on youtube (the pixiwoo clan is to blame for that ;)) i finally bought it. it left a very positive first impression - looks very natural. 
MAC Style is a beautiful coral pink with gold duochrome shimmer. it's more coral and the shimmer is finer than NARS Orgasm, so it can look greasy if applied too heavily.


NARS Kalahari - Giorgio Armani Heat - NARS Rajasthan - Guerlain #2 Place Vendôme
NARS Kalahari - Giorgio Armani Heat - NARS Rajasthan - Guerlain #2 Place Vendôme
NARS Kalahari - Giorgio Armani Heat - NARS Rajasthan - Guerlain #2 Place Vendôme

NARS Kalahari eyeshadow duo (here only the lighter shade swatched) is one of my favourite NARS duos, this shade has a beautiful metallic bronze-pink duochrome. 
Giorgio Armani Heat palette is from the summer collection of this year, it's a very warm palette with great quality.
NARS Rajasthan eyeshadow duo (here only the gold shade swatched) is another favourite NARS duo of mine.  i adore this cool toned gold-taupe. 
Guerlain #2 Place Vendôme palette is my favourite out of the 3 Ecrin 6 Couleurs palette i own, and the pewter gold is my favourite shade of the palette.


MAC Retrospeck - Mad Minerals Whisper Gold - Yves Rocher Pepite D'Or - MNY 365
MAC Retrospeck - Mad Minerals Whisper Gold - Yves Rocher Pepite D'Or - MNY 365
MAC Retrospeck - Mad Minerals Whisper Gold - Yves Rocher Pepite D'Or - MNY 365

MAC Retrospeck is a pale white gold, i don't like the texture a lot but i like to use it as blending shade for warm golds which would look weird on me.
Mad Minerals Whisper Gold is a nice gift from Martha. it remembers me of NARS Albatross in loose eyeshadow form and looks great on darker shades when the strong yellow gold duochrome shimmer comes out.
Yves Rocher Pepite D'Or is a very old loose eyeshadow of mine, it's much too coppery for me so i only rarely used it in the past.
MNY 365 is probably one of my favourite drugstore lipglosses. a beautiful pink coral with gold (and multicolour) shimmers.


NARS Strada - Mad Minerals Drama Queen - MAC Hold My Gaze - Rival de Loop #51 - Rival de Loop #50 - Manhattan 32K
NARS Strada - Mad Minerals Drama Queen - MAC Hold My Gaze - Manhattan 32K
NARS Strada - Mad Minerals Drama Queen - MAC Hold My Gaze - Manhattan 32K
Rival de Loop #51 - Rival de Loop #50

these are the other golds, in fact other base shades with gold shimmer.
NARS Strada is a matte blue purple with gold sparkles. unfortunately most of the gold shimmer blend away.
Mad Minerals Drama Queen is a lavender blue with strong pale gold shimmer and metallic sheen. great shade!
MAC Hold My Gaze is in their 6 Beauties Play it Cool palette from their last holiday collection - a blueish dove grey with fine gold shimmer.
the two RdL nail polishes are really some drugstore gems. especially #51 i like for it's pearly gold shimmer. they look more cool toned once applied than in the bottle.
Manhattan 32K is a peach gloss with gold shimmer. it's a bit too sheer for my pigmented lips, but i really like the colour.



uuuhh, that was a LOT! so i think i can clearly state that the colour of this summer for me is GOLD! what about you?



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