Current Favorites & Product Obsessions

IGK has quickly become one of my fastest hair brand obsessions. Everything I’ve tried styling wise has been great. I use dry shampoo quite a bit. I tend to shower every other day. The IGK Jet Lag Invisible Dry Shampoo is my newest acquisition by the line. It’s a little pricey for what it is, but it works. Well. No white residue and I like that as a dry shampoo it’s not intense and really drying or over powdery like some dry shampoos. More to come.

Zelens Z Matrix is this lovely pink gel that hydrates immensely well. I buy a jar in the winter to use in place of hydrating serums. It would work as a moisturizer for oily or combo skins during the summer if you live in a hot or humid climate. Otherwise I like to layer it. Review HERE.

I used to use Omorovicza Nourishing Hand Treatment all the day. It replaced La Mer for me. I was testing a bunch of hand creams for a while and stopped using it. I pulled a tube out again and it was love at first reuse again. Light enough and hydrating. Review HERE. This is easily one of my favorite hand creams and though pricey a tube does last a while.

January Labs Revitalizing Day Cream is this new discovery for me. It’s got an almost oil meets liquid lotion texture. Very fluid and light yet really really hydrating. More to come.  The Wayne Goss Air Brush should be in every one of these posts because it’s phenomenal. Now it comes in Rose Gold. Review HERE.

Miller Harris is a niche UK perfumery that I just adore. I haven’t used some of my heavier scents in a while and I’ve been pulling out L’air De Rien for a while. I’ve forgotten how much I loved it. It used to be available in the US as a brand but then they pulled out so you have to search around for it. This scent is musty and feminine without being overtly so. It’s completely unique and hard to describe. Musty, like an old book, warm with vanilla and amber, not overpowering. It’s really really good.

Iconic singer and actress Jane Birkin’s perfume, L’Air de Rien is a uniquely intimate and nostalgic fragrance. Seeking to capture all of Jane’s favourite scents and chic sensuality, L’Air de Rien captures the comfort of a lovers embrace, watching dust dance in the light as you lay entwined. An intimate blend of musk and amber, softened by the suggestion of old books through earthy moss and dry vanilla. Alluring and profound, with an unspoken intimacy and closeness.

Top: Neroli Tunisia. Heart: Neroli. Tunisia Base: Oak moss, Patchouli Indonesia, Vanilla Reunion, Amber, White musk.

Herbovore Botanicals released a new Coconut Ultra Hydration Body Oil an exclusive to Nordstrom. This smells like a light coconut nothing too sweet or overpowering. It’s the perfect natural coconut scent. The oil is not too heavy but hydrating. Love the glass pump package. It’s formulated with coconut oil and Co2 extract to deeply hydrate the skin. Its scent whisks you away to a tropical vacation with each application.

With it being colder I’ve been pulling out SUQQU’s Frame Fix Foundation Lightness. This is the newest liquid foundation out last year I believe. Still very hard to find as only Harrod’s & Ichibankao has it. Selfridges doesn’t carry it online. I love the coverage and hydrating nature. Yet it’s lightweight. I’ve been playing with shades 003 and 203. More to come soon.

Original Human was a chance discovery for me. I grabbed the Kalahari Melon Facial Serum which is perfect for my combo skin. I’m obsessed with all watermelon skincare products for one, two this is lightweight and perfect for day use. I also love raspberry oil so this was a win win for me.

Calms inflammation, restructures and brings balance, for acne-prone or combination skin. Grounded in a base of Kalahari Melon oil, this serum works to balance the skin and sebum production with essential fatty acids and lipids to restore and maintain the skin’s barrier function. High concentrations of Vitamin C and other antioxidants like carotenoids work to protect and calm the skin and promote healing. 

Ingredients Citrullus Lanatus (Watermelon) Seed Oil, Passiflora Edulis (Passion Fruit) Seed Oil, Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry) Seed Oil, Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose) Oil, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Petroselinum Sativum (Parsley) Seed Oil, Helichrysum Splendidum Oil

I love the Chanel Ombre Premiere Cream Eyeshadow in general. Silver Pink & Memory are staples for a fast look. Silver Screen is the newest edition to the family. Limited edition this sparkling pewter shade is perfect for holidays. This is a bit more sparkling than the permanent shades. Same great formula. Review HERE.

NARS Christopher Kane Holographic Lipstick in Chroma Chrome caught my eye when I saw it on Instagram. A holographic nude pink, yes please. It was a UK exclusive as far as & I know I got mine of Selfridges. It’s a sheer shimmering very light nude with a pink shift.

Shock the runway with an electrifying collection of holographic sheens and metallic glitter tones inspired by Christopher Kane’s signature aesthetic. This imited-edition soft nude Lipstick in Chroma Chrome from NARS creates a subtle, holographic sheen for a universally flattering highlight effect. The long-wearing formula provides ultra-comfortable wear and silky colour that lasts.

Top Chanel Silver Screen, Bottom NARS Chroma Chrome:

Top to Bottom–Omorovica Nourishing Hand Treatment, Zelens Z Matrix, January Labs Revitalizing Day Cream, SUQQU Frame Fix Foundation Lightness 003, Chanel Silver Screen, NARS Chroma Chrome:

NARS Charlotte Gainsbourg Hydrating Glow Tint Medium: Review & Swatches

NARS just launched a new collection with Charlotte Gainsbourg. I grabbed the limited edition Hydrating Glow Tint in Medium. Mostly because I can’t help myself with foundations. Though I have more than I can possibly ever use. Details per NARS:

The Charlotte Gainsbourg for NARS Collection presents the iconic chanteuse’s signature style through François Nars’ vision of beauty. 

Easy glowing. Fresh-faced perfection, right at your fingertips. This limited-edition formula, inspired by Charlotte Gainsbourg’s story and signature style, awakens dull skin and evens out tone with sheer, buildable coverage. Its weightless, refreshing gel-cream delivers foolproof, brush-free application. Simply massage it into skin with your fingertips for a healthy-looking glow that evokes Gainsbourg’s effortless French beauty. Oil free. In four shades: fair, light, medium, medium-dark.

I happen to be one to like light coverage foundations and tinted moisturizers. This is a tinted moisturizer. It has a mousse-like light, whipped texture. It has the same coverage as the average tinted moisturizer. Medium is a deep golden medium beige. It was a little scary at first in the tube for me I thought it was too dark and golden, but once rubbed onto the skin it lightens a bit and blends in well enough for my light medium warmer skin tone. The light shades in tinted moisturizers are usually too light for me, sometimes the mediums are too dark. I really need a light medium but this product only has four shades.

This has no real discernible scent, it’s very faint and not even perfumed. I thought Glow Tint would mean shimmer. However, this product is actually shimmer free. This is pretty hydrating like you would expect from a tinted moisturizer. It’s not greasy or oily-just dewy. Tinted moisturizers are usually perfect for summer. The only issue I had with this product is that it’s almost too hydrating for me. I only have normal to combo skin but I live in Houston. It’s already sticky, humid and hot here. I need a more matte foundation in the summer. So if you live somewhere hot and humid or have more oily skin I would test this out first. Being limited edition makes that hard as it will probably sell out shortly.

You can layer it a touch to build up coverage in the problem areas. It’s marginal in the coverage difference to layer it. You wont cover all the issues with this product. It’s not designed for that. I love the deep matte grey graphic tube packaging. I like this a lot better than the permanent NARS Matte Tint and Radiant Tinted Moisturizer. Too bad it’s not permanent and doesn’t have a Light Medium shade. I would use this on myself in the winter more when the weather calms down.

Top to Bottom: NARS Hydrating Glow Tint Medium, Natasha Denona Face Glow Foundation 42, Urban Decay One & Done Light Medium & Medium:

Ingredients

A Glimpse in My Palettes

Here’s a look into my current makeup palettes. I prefer depotted shades because 1) Palettes take up less room 2) I remember to use all the shades because they’re there in plain view and 3) I don’t have to rummage through a whole drawer looking for a specific shade. I do love special packaging, but I will ruin it to put that shade in a palette if I know it’s a keeper forever.

One thing I love about Japanese or Japanese inspired brands is that they make depotting so easy. They have holes in the packaging and easy light glue. You can just pop the pan out by poking them through the hole in the back. You don’t have to ruin the package depotting it and then you can put it back in the case if you want to in the future. Everyone else should learn from this and make their items easy to depot. It’s the way makeup has been going for years, even with the non pro makeup artists.

I wasn’t originally going to list the shades, but I figure I’ll get asked so might as well. I’ll do left to right, top row to bottom row. Yes I know it’s a lot of browns and nudes and might be boring for those color adventurers. I love browns/nudes in every shape and form.

Eyeshadow

Surratt-Chinchilla, Vision, Zibeline, Brunatre. Natasha Denona-Skin, Satin Skin, Satin Tan, Smoky Topaz. L’oreal Holographic King’s Ransom(DC’d and old).

Surratt-Soie, Idealiste, Haute Chocolate, Griege, Ombre, Brun Noir. NARS Kalahari L shade. YSL Couture Mono #11.

SUQQU Yuushakuyaku Top L, Bottom L. SUQQQU Kozuecha Bottom R, Top R. SUQQU Rengazome Top L, Top R. SUQQU Trio Toutouseki Bottom Brown. THREE 4-D Plus Palette 03 Glitter shade. NARS Kalahari R shade. Addiction Penny Lane.

SUQQU Yuushakuyaku Top R, Bottom R. SUQQU Kozuecha Top L, Bottom L. SUQQU Rengazome Bottom R, Bottom L. SUQQU Trio Toutouseki Middle Pink. THREE 4-D Plus 02 Glitter shade. Armani Maestro 32. YSL Couture Mono #17. Addiction Marron Glace.

THREE 4-D Plus Bottom L Browns from-X01, 01, 03, 02. Charlotte Tilbury Golden Goddess Grey Enhance shade. SUQQU Trio EX-05 Sumichazumi Middle Brown with the Bottom Black right below. THREE 4-D Plus 03 Bottom R with Bottom L from X01 right below. Burberry Pale Barley new version. Edward Bess Intimate. Addiction Christmas Love.

Blush

MAC Seduced at Sea, Estee Edit First Lover, Becca Mineral Sweetpea, NARS Douceur, THREE 08 Eternal Traveler with THREE 17 Wind Swept Soul right below.

Marc Jacobs Flesh & Fantasy, SUQQU 02 Hanachaori, Makeup Revolution Nude, Urban Decay Video, THREE 07 Magical Thinking with Surratt La Rosee Du Soir right below.

Rouge Bunny Rouge Habanera, Armani Sheer Blush #4, Addiction #29 Noah.

Highlighter

NYX Duo Chromatic-Lavender Steel, Crushed Bloom. Makeup Revolution Ulta Pro Glow Palette Pink Shade 2nd from Bottom L. Urban Decay Fireball.

Natasha Denona Light, Makeup Geek Psychedelic.

Random Eyeshadows

L row top to bottom: MAC-Silver Sun, Smut, Urban Decay Bust.

R row top to bottom: Makeup Geek I’m Peachless, Urban Decay-Fireball, Suspect, MAC-Patina, Vex.

NARS Pop Goes the Easel Blush Misconduct: Review & Swatches

NARS Nordstrom Exclusive Pop Goes the Easel Collection launched recently. I grabbed Misconduct blush thinking it was the perfect dusty nude pink. This collection is limited edition. Details per Nordstrom:

The ultimate authority on blush, NARS offers the industry’s most iconic shades for your cheeks to give them natural, healthy-looking color that immediately enlivens your complexion. A light application of even the highest-intensity hues delivers a natural looking flush. Each blush has a silky texture and is made from micronized powder to ensure soft, blendable application.

The packaging and price is the same as the regular blushes. Misconduct is not really the dusty pink nude I was thinking it is. It’s more a sheer plummy pink with a soft golden sheen. It looks warm and nude in the pan, but swatches cooler and more plum. Misconduct is sheer compared to a lot of NARS blushes. It kind of reminded me of a sheer Oasis or something similar.

The texture was not like the normal NARS blushes I’m used to, it was very dry and hard. It’s patchy when swatching but with a brush it looked fine on. It was hard to get a lot of pigment on the brush. You definitely need a strong bristled, dense brush for this one. It was a huge disappointment for me due to the texture and shade being not what it appears in the pan. I much prefer Douceur or Sexual Content to this one.

Top to Bottom: NARS Douceur, Misconduct, Sexual Content R Side:

NARS Summer Dual-Intensity Blush: Sexual Content & Liberation: Review & Swatches

I wasn’t into the original release of NARS Dual-Intensity Blushes, the shades weren’t for me. The new Summer shades Sexual Content and Liberation seemed more neutral and up my alley. So I grabbed both.

Per NARS: “Purely pigmented color with seamless customizable coverage. New Dual-Intensity Blush defies genre with a silky, wet/dry formula of unprecedented artistry. Apply dry for a healthy glow and wet for translucent, second-skin finish. Six modern shade pairings coordinated to wear alone or pair together for a range of dynamic effects and versatility. Housed in a new, modern compact design. NARS exclusive Translucent Prismatic Technology features pearls and pigments perfectly suspended in transparent soft base to allows for multi-dimensional effects with a uniquely weightless, luxurious texture.” The retail is $45 for a 0.22 oz compact.

I found these had a harder top layer, but once you got past that these apply like a dream. The texture is very finely milled and not powdery at all. It’s so lightweight and very buildable without being heavy. These shades give a soft glow effect, the shimmer adds a glow not obvious shimmer. They seem very pigmented when swatched, but they apply sheerer. This made it easier to build the color to your desired intensity. I did find I had better luck applying these using a goat hair or stiffer brush versus a softer brush like squirrel. I had a hard time getting enough product with the softer squirrel brushes, once I switched to my Wayne Goss #13 I had better luck. My advice is to rub the hard top layer off with your finger first, then start using a brush to apply.

Just as an FYI I noticed Sephora has the shade names mixed up with the colors. It wasn’t that way when I bought these from Sephora.com the day they launched. Seems to have been mixed up after.

Left Liberation, Right Sexual Content:

Liberation is described as a light shimmering pink and caramel rose. The left shade is a shimmering coral pink and the right side as a shimmering caramel rose is accurate. Both shades are warm toned. I like both mixed together the best. Gives a nice shimmery warm coral bronzy rose shade, perfect for summer.

Sunlight:

Sexual Content is described as a sandy peach and soft raspberry. I would say that’s pretty accurate, add shimmering to both. Overall, it has a neutral feel, the raspberry isn’t cool. I expected to hate this one as I’m not into cool blush shades but it surprised me. I actually like it more than Liberation. I usually hate raspberry blush shades, but being neutral toned it works for me. I especially like them mixed together the best which gives a warmer peachy raspberry glow that works well for summer. If you can’t do normal raspberry shades because they’re too cool or fushia toned, try this one. Mixing it with the peach also helps.

Sunlight:

Top to Bottom: NARS Sexual Content-Both Sides Mixed, NARS Sexual Content R Side, NARS Sexual Content L Side, Cle de Peau Blush Duo #105 Plum Side, Cle de Peau #105 Lighter Side, Charlotte Tilbury Ecstasy Mixed, MAC Seduced at Sea Extra Dimension Blush:

Top to Bottom: NARS Liberation-Both Sides Mixed, NARS Liberation L Side, NARS Liberation R Side, MAC Seduced at Sea, Rouge Bunny Rouge Habanera, Becca Sweetpea, Chanel Joues Contraste Rose Bronze:

NARS Dual-Intensity Eyeshadow Tan Lines: Review & Swatches

I talked about NARS Dual-Intensity Eyeshadows formula here. Tan Lines is a new shade for summer that just came out. Tan Lines is described as a Rich Hazlenut. That’s pretty accurate. It’s a satin, lightly shimmery medium chocolate brown shade. The retail is the same as the original release, $29.

Tan Lines is limited edition, has a special box but the actual product packaging is the same as normal. This one is less shimmery than the others I have. It’s lightly shimmery, more satin. It also applies a bit sheerer than Telesto and Pasiphae. There was this hard layer on top that made me get a patchy first application, but once it was worn off it was smooth sailing. The shade is neutral to cool. It’s not warm at all. It looks that way in the sunlight photo, but it’s not warm. It’s not the coolest brown I’ve used, it fits in a cooler neutral area.

This may not be the most unique shade of the Dual-Intensity line, but it would work well adding depth to a lot of colors, or just act as a base shade if you like a nice medium brown. Alone and smudged around the eyes it gives a sophisticated soft brown look. Darker than a usual summer shade, however it could be punched up with a coral lip.

Sunlight:

Compared with L to R: NARS Pasiphae, Tan Lines & Telesto:

Swatches Top to Bottom: NARS Telesto, Tan Lines, Pasiphae:

Compared with L to R: Addiction Marron Glace, NARS Tan Lines, Chanel Entrelacs Palette Middle Brown Shade:

NARS Kalahari Duo Eyeshadow: Review & Swatches

My favorite NARS Eyeshadow is the duo Kalahari. Kalahari retails for $35 and is described as a bronze pearl and milk chocolate. That’s pretty accurate. Per NARS’s website: “Modern, unique, sometimes unexpected color combinations of eyeshadow shades. Worn alone or together, all Duo Eyeshadow shades feature micro-fine powders that are highly pigmented, longwearing and crease resistant. Color glides on smoothly, evenly and blends effortlessly. The effects can be subtle or smoldering — the options are endless. True color application; Can be applied dry or with dampened brush for stronger intensity; Multi-function use for shading, lining and highlighting the eyes; Classic, neutral and fashion-forward shade pairings.”

The left shade is the pearl bronze. It’s a unique light toned bronze, it’s cool to neutral instead of all the warm ones usually out there. It has a very pearlescent quality hard to capture in photos. It’s more pearlescent than regular shimmer eyeshadows, yet not really a traditional metallic either. It has a slight bit of very very fine micro glitter/shimmer which I honestly never noticed until I scrutinized it today. The milk chocolate shade is a shimmery cooler light brown with a slightly mauve undertone. Overall, it’s a cooler to neutral feeling compact.

The shades are silky and pigmented. Some of the more matte NARS shadows I find dry and patchy, but not these. Both shades in Kalahari are smooth, apply well and blend easily. They have average powder eyeshadow lasting time.

Swatches same as above:

NARS Dual Intensity Eyeshadow: Telesto & Pasiphae: Review & Swatches

NARS just put out two new Dual Intensity eyeshadows with their Fall 2015 collection, Pasiphae and Telesto. I have owned two Dual Intensity shadows, and while I liked the texture the original release of shades was not really for me. These two are brown neutrals so of course they were more to my liking.

The formula is a thin, lightweight texture eyeshadow that can be used dry or wet for a more intense look. It’s smooth, blends and applies easily. I get no streakiness, it’s not hard or powdery. It’s a fabulous formula. It lasts well, I have no issues with it lasting 8-10 hours with a primer. I use them dry as that’s enough for me.

Pasiphae is described as a “shimmering peacock burgundy”. It’s really more of a medium brown base with shimmery green iridescence, which gives it a duo chrome effect. The level of green flash you get really depends on how it hits the light. It can look much more brown, or the green can really punch it up. This one has larger shimmering particles than Telesto, which is much more smooth. I would say this is similar to such colors like MAC Club, which I used to have but don’t anymore to compare. I remember MAC Club being more of a red based brown, this is more neutral based brown, which makes it better for me. It looks like it might be warmer based in the pan, but test it out, the base is more neutral and not really red. I use it dry, but I tested it wet, I still don’t get any burgundy, red or any teal that might be ‘peacock’. Just brown and green.

Telesto is described as a “brown with golden shimmer”. It’s more of a shimmery medium neutral brown. It doesn’t have gold shimmer, but it leans a bit yellow. By itself it looks neutral, compared to more red based browns it looks more yellow based, yet it’s not that real warm yellow base like some browns. It’s what I wanted Himalia to be. I thought it was going to be an average warm bronze brown, but it’s a touch lighter shade. It’s not really deep, more a lighter neutral bronze brown and it’s hard to find a shimmery medium brown that’s not that darker warm bronze shade nor a light tan. It’s quite nice and my favorite of the two.

Pasiphae does add a darker brown depth if you use it in the crease and outer corner with Telesto all over the lid. I love both, they were a good buy as the formula is so nice as well. They are a bit on the higher priced end at $29 for 1.5g.

L to R: Pasiphae, Telesto:

Telesto:

Pasiphae:

Top Pasiphae, Bottom Telesto:

Sunlight:

Pasiphae turns more brown based in strong sunlight:

But it still has that reflective green sheen when tilted in light:

NARS Telesto compared with L to R: Charlotte Tilbury Fallen Angel Bottom L Shade(warmer, more metallic), MAC Havana(cooler, more taupe), NARS Kalahari Duo L Shade(lighter, cooler), Surratt Haute Chocolate(deeper, warmer, less shimmery), Cle de Peau Satin Moon #305 Bronze Shade(less yellow, more red):

Top to Bottom: NARS Kalahari Duo Left Shade, Cle de Peau #305 Bronze Shade, Surratt Haute Chocolate, NARS Telesto, MAC Havana, Charlotte Tilbury Fallen Angel Bottom Left Shade:

Same as above except with NARS Pasiphae on top:

NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil Frivolous: Review & Swatches

I’ve had this NARS Lip Gloss Pencil for quite some time, even tried many other colors out as well. Frivolous is my favorite of the current selection of colors. NARS Velvet Gloss Pencils are typical stick gloss pencils that you sharpen to expose more product. I’m not really a fan of the design as you waste so much product sharpening, I like the ones that are plastic where you roll up the stick gloss product.

These are glossy, slightly sticky, thicker for a gloss, and sheer. They have average lasting power maybe 2-3 hours. Frivolous is a sheer shimmery pink. The rubbery cap does start to peel after time as you can see in the top photo. They have no discernible smell or taste. NARS describes this one as an iridescent seashell pink. Which is pretty accurate. It retails for $26 for 0.09 oz. It’s a pricey gloss pencil, especially for how fast it goes having to sharpen it frequently and the waste product. It’s sheer, pricey and sticky. So whether it’s for you depends on how much you love those aspects, NARS or the specific color. 

Random Eyeshadows: MAC, NARS, Armani, Rouge Bunny Rouge, Cle de Peau: Swatches

This is a post with a bunch of random eyeshadow swatches. MAC’s Alluring Aquatic collection this last summer was full of fun packaging with the teal metallic cases and clear resin water drops on the outside. I got a few items, the only eyeshadow I liked was Silver Sun Extra Dimension eyeshadow. Silver Sun is a shimmery dirty seafoam green. It can be used wet or dry. Dry has a sheer lightweight texture, I have not tried it wet yet as dry is enough color for me. I never use colored eyeshadows like this, I have blue eyes and for me I just prefer neutrals. However, this color was so striking it was pulling me like a Barracuda to some shiny object. I’ve only worn it once, but I can’t part with it as it’s too pretty. I’m hoping this summer I’ll try it again. The texture is divine, it’s even and easy to apply. It lasts an average time. This was limited edition and $19.50 and was well worth the price.

Armani Eyes to Kill in #30 or Rose Popillia is a stunning unique color as well. The texture is lightweight, smooth, easy to apply and blend. It lasts 12 hours easy. It’s actually a loose style pigment packed into a glass jar. Keep the small plastic press they give you when you buy an Eyes to Kill eyeshadow as it keeps it in place versus breaking up. The color is a complex shimmery rose pink in a grey base. It applies sheer dry, and can be built up a little dry, but if you want it really dark and opaque you’ll have to apply it wet. I like this as an occasional brow bone highlight or inner corner shade. It almost has like a lit from within glow effect. It’s not a shade I use often, but it’s to pretty to get rid of. It was limited edition. The retail is $34. It’s a large jar that will last forever, so I say yes this was worth the price.

NARS Andromeda is part of the Dual-Intensity eyeshadow collection. It has a lightweight, finely milled smooth texture that can be used wet or dry. Andromeda is described by NARS as Alabaster, but it’s almost like a vanilla color with pink and gold very fine shimmer. It reminds me of a finely milled less shimmery MAC Vanilla pigment. It’s smooth, and easy to apply and blend. I tried it dry only. It lasts a good amount of time. This is a great highlight shade. It retails for $29 so it’s a pricey single eyeshadow. This shade was one of the least shimmery of the Dual-Intensity bunch. For the price it didn’t blow me away, but it was a nice eyeshadow overall.

Cle de Peau Satin Eye Color in 111 is a milk chocolate very slightly shimmery neutral brown. It’s a great easy neutral base shade. The texture is buttery, it applies evenly and blends well. It’s $45 for a single which makes it really pricey. I only tried it because it was on sale on My Habit for around $25. Is it worth $45, probably not. It’s not unique enough to have to have it for that price. It’s worth $25 though.

In the palette at the top I have a L’Oreal Holographic eyeshadow in King’s Ransom. I’ve had this forever, it’s one of those colors I don’t use often but it’s unique enough to not get rid of. It’s a buttery textured shimmery light to medium warmer plum that has a slight hint of gold when you tilt it. It applies even and lasts well. In the middle is Rouge Bunny Rouge Rufous-tailed Weaver. On the website it’s describe as a true medium taupe with bronzy-gold highlights. To me it looks like a medium shimmery cooler brown with an almost olive/grey lean. Rouge Bunny Rouge eyeshadows are amazing, the texture is finely milled, smooth, applies even and lasts a long time. The only thing is the majority of their eyeshadows are cool toned or have a purple lean and they don’t work for me sadly. I would love to see some warmer colors one day. This one is pretty neutral in general but is slightly cool. They retail for $25 for a pot or $19 for a pan.

I have three MAC eyeshadows: Smut, Patina and Vex. Vex was one of my first MAC shadows and is a frost finish, MAC describes it as a beige with green and pink pearl. It comes off as a greyish beige with the pink shimmer being the visible part. This has been one of my favorite highlight shades for a long time, I’ve even had this pan for probably 14 years. Patina is also a frost and described as a taupe brown with golden pearl. It’s a light slightly greyed beige brown with pink shimmer. Smut is a velvet and described as a muted black with red shimmer which is pretty right on. They all retail for $16 for a pot or $10 for a pan.The frost shades can be hard in the pan and require a stiffer brush like goat to apply, you won’t get a good application with a squirrel brush. Smut is a little easier to apply, it’s a touch softer. It has a sheer feel on application, it can be layered to be darker but it’s not an intensely pigmented black shade. It’s a great crease or outer corner shade. It blends in well. MAC shadows are typically not my favorite formula of all time as they can be drier and harder to apply, they also are inconsistent from finish to finish and shade to shade.

Top L L’Oreal Holographic King’s Ransom, top R MAC Vex, Middle Rouge Bunny Rouge Rufous-tailed Weaver, bottom L MAC Smut, bottom R MAC Patina.

Top to bottom: MAC Silver Sun, NARS Andromeda:

Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Rose Popillia:

Cle de Peau Satin Eye Color 111:

L to R: MAC Silver Sun, MAC Smut, RBR Rufous-tailed Weaver, Cle de Peau 111, MAC Patina, MAC Vex, NARS Andromeda, Armani Rose Popillia, L’Oreal King’s Ransom.