Inspiration - Maquillage Spring 2010

For Maquillage's latest spring campaign, the brand chose a new spokesmodel and stuck with this one person instead of the usual 4-5 models they use for bigger releases (spring & fall). The new spokesmodel is ICONIQ, a Japanese artist who grew up in Japan but started her entertainment career as part of a Korean girl group (kind of confusing). Honestly, I'm not a big fan of the hair, but I'll admit she still looks really pretty. I'm also kind of ambivalent about her eye makeup in the ad, but the limited edition palettes (one was used in the ad) are adorable and I like her lip color ^^

This is slightly off topic, but I think that most female artists can be divided into two types: the type that looks prettier in pictures and the type that looks prettier in videos (or you can say still vs. moving). I consider ICONIQ as the former type; for some reason she just doesn't look as pretty when she's not posing ^^"' An example of the latter type (for me) is Ayase Haruka, who looks pretty in dramas but somehow off in her MaxFactor ads. Same thing with Shinohara Ryoko, who is a great actress and a long time MQ spokesmodel (though maybe not anymore...I wonder if MQ will use the original models again for the fall campaign). The only exception I can think of to my two types of female artist rule is Ueno Juri, who looks different in photos vs. videos but pretty either way ^^

Inspiration - Chanel Bird of Paradise

As I've mentioned in my review of Chanel's Mystic Eyes quad, the promotional picture of Chanel's 2009 winter release really caught my eyes. Out of all of the department store brands, I would say Chanel stood out the most to me, mostly because they chose to use springy resort colors for a winter release instead of the standard smoky and/or silvery/gold colors. Another reason I really liked the promotional picture was that I've always loved multicolored eye looks but have rarely ever seen it done well. Most of the time, multicolored looks can be overly makeupy and not at all like the spring goddess image I want to see. Chanel, however, succeeded in making the model look ethereal, kind of like a tropical rainforest goddess ^^

A Rather Lengthy Base Makeup Update

This is a long overdue update on the different base makeup items that I've been using for the past 4 months or so. After using the L'Oreal foundation and powder for a while early last year, I decided that the finish was still not exactly what I'd like even though the foundation has its merits. Especially when my skin gets these dry patches from acne medication, the L'Oreal foundation can make my face look rather cakey. Plus, the powder doesn't seem to help control oil or, in fact, do anything for my complexion, so I definitely needed to find something better. Since I haven't had much luck with drugstore foundations/powders, I decided to hunt for something in the higher end market.

After reading a number of reviews, I decided on Make Up For Ever's Face & Body for my new foundation, which is a really awesome and unique product. The foundation is oil-free and looks kind of like watered down jello in the jar (that's in a good way). On skin, F&B is sheer and very light feeling, and once dried, the foundation almost entirely disappears/melts into your skin. The result is a slightly better version of your skin on your face, which is exactly what I wanted. The downside to this sheerness is that the foundation has a hard time covering any major blemishes if you apply with a light hand. If you layer on the foundation though, you can make most blemishes look a lot less obvious if not entirely invisible. Another great thing about F&B is that it does not oxidize as the day goes on, so I never look like an orange version of myself by the end of the day.

Unfortunately, the foundation is still far from perfect. Perhaps because the foundation retains moisture well (as evident by the fact that it looks natural and never cakey), it does not agree with my oily T-zone and causes my face to be more oily than usual when applied. In addition, the closest color I've found to my natural skin tone (20) is still a bit yellow for me, so the limited color selection may drive some other people away as well. I also wish the foundation comes in a pump bottle since there were definitely a couple of times when I accidentally knocked over the bottle and spilled foundation everywhere.


Since I'm almost out of my F&B and I wanted to try something else, I went out and got Dior's Diorskin Nude Natural Glow Liquid Foundation at Lord & Taylor a couple of weeks ago. Similar to F&B, Diorskin Nude is known for looking natural and has also received a good number of positive reviews. The two foundations differ in that Diorskin Nude is a bit thicker than F&B, which means that it covers a bit better but also runs a higher risk of looking cakey, especially during the dry winters here. I've found that if I apply this foundation on top of my Shiseido White Lucent sunscreen, my face will look extremely cakey and dry. Since the foundation already has some sunscreen, I've opted to apply it directly over my moisturizer, which gives a much more natural finish. So far, I haven't had any problems with oxidation using Diorskin Nude, and my face is still at a normal level of oiliness by the end of the day. Diorskin Nude also wins over MUFE F&B in its packaging; I don't care that it's a hassle to get the last bit of your foundation out of a pump bottle, it is still much less wasteful than the F&B packaging with no pump bottle, which means major spillage for a klutz like me.


One problem I found with the Diorskin Nude after using it for a couple of days is that the color I chose (023) looks too red/orange on me (which goes to say, never trust department store lighting). After checking the color descriptions on Sephora.com, I realized that 023 is a peachy beige, which definitely does not describe my skintone. I'm thinking 020 neutral beige may work better so I will update once I get around to exchanging my foundation. (UPDATE 2/8/10: I went to Sephora last week and tried out the rest of the lighter colors in the line and all of the colors available are either too dark or too pink on me. I think I'll be going back to my MUFE foundation for now unless I spot a better alternative in the next couple of weeks.)


Now moving on to the powders...After my L'Oreal powder fiasco, I decided to try MUFE's HD Powder due to the numerous rave reviews. It imparts a very slight sheen to the face when applied and gives a soft focus kind of effect. Unfortunately, it doesn't do anything else and especially does nothing for my oiliness. I gave it a couple of weeks and tried different methods of application (brush vs. powder puff), but I soon gave up and moved on to another powder.


I next purchased Lavshuca's Finish Powder in Lucent after reading the positive review on A Touch of Blusher. Compared to MUFE HD, Lavshuca has the additional benefit of being able to slighty mask pores, but it also doesn't control my oiliness. There is a matte version of the Lavshuca Finish Powder that is more geared towards oil-control (A Touch of Blusher mentioned that the matte version does control oil slightly better) but I'm not a fan of completely matte powder so I decided to pass on that.


One thing I love about the Lavshuca Finish Powder is its packaging. The original packaging for the Finish Powder (might've been called something else previously) was even more princessy, but this new packaging still looks very girly. I especially love the cute powder puff which adds a very nice touch to the product.


I have a couple of words to say about a some other products that I've tried very briefly or only through testers so I don't have product pictures.

Tinted Moisturizer - Dior HydrAction Deep Hydration Skin Tint SPF 20

I heard about this product through a friend who raved about how it covers everything but still looks extremely natural. I picked up a tester sample from Sephora of the lightest color (00? 01?) and it sadly didn't work for me at all. I felt like it didn't cover anything when applied sheerly and looked extremely cakey when applied generously. The color selection was also very limited so the lightest color was too light for me but the second lightest was way too dark.

Concealer - Neutrogena SkinClearing Oil-Free Concealer

I was having serious skin problems for a period of time last year so I picked up this concealer to cover my pimples/acne. The good thing is that it didn't irritate my breakouts so that they become worse, but I can't say that the concealer helped cure my breakouts either. The other downside was that this concealer looked very cakey and unnatural if I had patches of dry skin due to the acne medication, so I ended up throwing it away after a while.

Face Primers - Bare Escentuals Prime Time Foundation Primer Oil Control, Laura Mercier Oil Free Foundation Primer, Urban Decay Complexion Primer Potion for Pore Perfecting, Korres Face Primer

I've read on a number of makeup blogs that primers is the way to control oil, not powder. However, I have very little faith in face primers since all that I've tried (Smashbox, MUFE UV Primer, etc.) have failed me or exacerbated the problem so far. Still, after trying the HD Powder and still having no luck controlling my sebum secretion, I picked up a few more primer testers from Sephora. Both the Bare Escentuals and Laura Mercier primers I got because friends recommended them, and I got the Urban Decay primer because UDPP works really well on me. Unfortunately, all of them failed miserably at the oil-controlling aspect for my face. Even though the UD primer isn't specifically geared towards oil control, it was still a failure in that it didn't cover up my pores as advertised. I got the Korres primer as a sample for an online order, and it also wasn't any good at oil-control, but it was more geared towards moisture-retention anyway so I don't really blame the product. There is one amazing thing about the Korres primer, though--it makes my skin feel very supple, soft, and smooth without that silicone feeling you get with a lot of primers. I wish it would work with my oily skin since I truly love the finish, but this primer might be for you if you have dry skin.

In short: Make Up For Ever Face & Body - sheer and very natural-looking but limited color selection and not good for oily skin. Diorskin Nude - fairly natural-looking, still waiting to see if there's a good color match. Make Up For Ever HD Powder - doesn't do much, especially no oil-control. Lavshuca Finish Powder in Lucent - slightly masks pores but also little oil-control.

Chanel Mystic Eyes (It's CHANEL!)

Chanel has always been one of those god-like brands to me. To buy anything Chanel is to take the first step into the world of fashion. Of course, not everything Chanel is perfect, but it seems like even the imperfections are god-like. You can never go wrong with Chanel. (I mean just look at this paper box! If it wasn't Chanel then it would be boring, but because it is Chanel, the box automatically becomes classy.)


Since I don't really want to spend a month's salary on a Chanel bag just yet, a Chanel's makeup item seems like a good alternative. Thus, when I saw the beautiful promotional picture for Chanel's winter 2009 eyeshadow palette, my mind went *ding* time to pick up a Chanel quad. The minute I swatched Bird of Paradise from Chanel winter 2009 on the back of my hand, I absolutely fell in love with the shimmer quality. There is one downfall, Bird of Paradise is really colorful, and as I've (recently?) learned, my colorful eyeshadows mostly just sit in my drawers and are almost never used. Thankfully, as I swatched a few more of Chanel's quads, I found that a number of Chanel eyeshadow quads have the same beautiful shimmer, including spring 2009's Mystic Eyes. And that is how I ended up with Chanel's Quadra Eyeshadow in Mystic Eyes ^^


Back when Mystic Eyes just came out, I read a number of rave reviews on the insanely gorgeous taupey palette. Unfortunately, I was only working part time at the time so I refrained from making any expensive ($20+) makeup purchases. I'm very glad then that the Bird of Paradise promotional picture eventually led me to Mystic Eyes again because as the other reviewers say, Mystic Eyes is truly an INSANELY gorgeous taupey palette ^_^


The packaging for Chanel eyeshadow quads is not particularly exciting, but it looks very classy and Chanel-esque to me. As with other high-end brands, Chanel's quads come with a velvet pouch to protect the palette (see above). I always keep the velvet pouch because it looks nice, but the pouch also annoys the hell out of me because it attracts dust like crazy. The quads also come with a sturdy plastic protective covering and two sponge-tip applicators that are so-so in quality.


The eyeshadows in the Mystic Eyes quad are incredibly silky and finely-milled (as are all of the Chanel eyeshadows that I played with at Nordstrom). The lasting power is great, no complaints yet, and the shimmer that I previously mentioned is just out-of-this-world amazing. The shimmer here does not scream party girl but instead oozes sophistication from every little speck. The reason why I love it so much is due to the mix of very fine to fine shimmer that provides a spectrum of reflectivity and gives depth and dimension to each color. Unfortunately, my camera was not able to capture the shimmers well in any of the pictures, so you will just have to take my word for it until you are able to check out the quad in person at your local department store! I chose to provide two product photos below because the left picture (taken partly in the shade) is closer to the actual color, but the right picture (taken in indirect sunlight) shows the level of reflectivity based on the amount of shimmer in each color.

The four colors in Mystic Eyes are a very very pale vanilla pink (A), a slightly coppery medium brown (B), a silvery taupe (C), and a blackened chocolate brown (D). A and C are both on the sheer side but B and D are both very pigmented. There is some level of shimmeriness in all colors but I would say that D is more than 50% matte and A and C are the most shimmery of the bunch. These colors applied together creates a very (surprise surprise) sophisticated and classy look appropriate for both the office and weekends. I haven't tried to use this quad to create a smoky eye look yet, but I think it would also look beautiful (I imagine something like Marion Cotillard on the red carpet).


All pictures in this post were taken under natural light.

In short: A stunning quad worth every penny.

MJ Holiday 2008: BR799 Leather Rose

Nope, there is no typo in the title; I am indeed reviewing a palette released a year ago. It's almost sad that this is actually the most recently released out of all Asian eyeshadow palettes I've reviewed =P Anyway, this eyeshadow palette is part of Majolica Majorca's holiday 2008 collection, but because it is not limited edition, I just recently asked my mom to get it for me from Taiwan since. I've been hesistant about getting this palette since I got BR751 of the Trick On collection, and lots of reviewers have mentioned that this palette and BR751 are very similar. Thankfully, BR751 is not similar to BR799 in my eyes, so I'm very happy that I decided to get this anyway.


As usual, the MJ packaging is absolutely adorable, nothing really surprising there. I think the pearl-colored case may be my favorite out of all makeup items that I own ^^ It's too bad that MJ went overboard with their new line of palettes and added a string of little pearl-like decorations around the case. In my opinion, the fake pearls make the new case look cheap and ugly =P Also, even though I've talked about this before, but I would just like to rave some more about the MJ applicators. I usually use my fingers to apply eyeshadows, but MJ applicators are awesome because they are smoother than all other sponge-tip applicators that I've used. The smoothness means that it's easy on my eyelids (it doesn't tug) and it picks up and applies eyeshadows easily (the shadow doesn't go into the pores of the sponge and hide there instead of applying properly). The applicator is also great since I rarely ever see it make a powdery mess inside the eyeshadow case even if I don't clean it very well.


This line of eyeshadow palettes contains a cream base (top decorated band) and three powder shadows. I haven't used and don't plan on using the cream base since I don't want to destroy the pretty decoration. Plus, I've heard it's really horrible anyway, and I have already had several bad experiences with cream bases due to my oily lids. The powder shadows, though, have an amazing texture. Like most Asian shadows, MJ shadows are slightly soft to the touch and are very silky. They also last all day on me without creasing. So for me, the excellence of the powder shadows is definitely enough to make up for the mediocrity of the cream base ^_^


The three colors of the powder eyeshadows in this palette are a shimmery slightly warm pink highlight (A), a metallic warm-toned taupe (B), and a dark brown plum with pink shimmer (C). The palette is an interesting mixture of cool and warm since all of the colors seem cool at first glance, but they apply slightly warm (neutral-warm?) on eyelids. The pigmentation of A and B are fairly sheer, while C has medium high pigmentation. To make up for the low pigmentation level, all shades are very finely shimmery with some larger sparkles in A so that the overall effect is a light makeup look with natural radiance. Since the colors are very warm pink-based, the finished look is also very feminine though understated. A number of bloggers have mentioned that they like this palette better than its sister BR751, and I have to agree even though I don't think the two palettes are that similar. I think BR799 is easier to apply and looks flattering with most clothes, whereas BR751 is a bit more picky.

All product pictures in this post were taken under white light; the swatch picture was taken in natural light.

In short: MJ has me hooked yet again! This palette is definitely worth checking out if you like understated feminine looks or if you're a beginner looking for a basic palette. I hope MJ would come out with more palettes like this for their 2010 releases since their 2009 releases have been pretty disappointing for me...

P.S. By the way, if you wonder why I have positive reviews for most things that I get, it's not because I never have anything negative to say but because I always read a number of reviews before I purchase anything. That plus the fact that I have good friends who are also into makeup who let's me play with their makeup stuff means that I can usually weed out the things I know I won't like from my wish/shopping list.

Fyrinnae!

For those of you who don't know, Fyrinnae is a cosmetics e-tailer who makes their own makeup from scratch. They are perhaps most famous for their loose eyeshadows which some have touted as a budget-friendly version of MAC pigments. (I'm not sure whether Fyrinnae is cheaper than MAC on a per gram basis, but I would never want to buy such a big jar of loose eyeshadow anyway, so I've never considered MAC.) The range of colors for loose eyeshadows on Fyrinnae's site is absolutely amazing, it's like a color-lover's heaven! I love browsing through the eyeshadow colors on their site since it's almost like owning a Pantone color swatch ^^

Another reason why I love Fyrinnae is the way they name their shadows. They are usually whimsical or have some Japanese or Celtic influence, and the reasoning behind the name is usually provided for each eyeshadow along with a description of the color. Both dry and wet swatches of each eyeshadow are provided as well to make it easier for you to decide on a color. However, if you are still not sure of whether you will want a color based on the color description and the swatches, there is the option of buying 1/4-1/2 teaspoon samples of the shadows instead of the full 3 grams. The samples are around $1.50, while the full size eyeshadows are around $5.25 each, which is just absolutely amazing for the quality of the shadows that you get. I bought the below batch of samples from Fyrinnae for a measly $21 (free shipping worldwide for orders over $20), and they even included an extra smaller sample that was on my wishlist(Shinigami) along with a couple of stickers! The people at Fyrinnae are so nice ^^ I definitely didn't expect anything what with such a small order.


All samples and full size eyeshadows are packaged in small clear screw-top jars with the name of the shadow labeled on the bottom. Although the packaging is not the prettiest thing ever, I actually like it for its simplicity and practicality (you can see the eyeshadow very easily). In regards to the quality of the eyeshadows, the lasting power of the shadows I've tried are good with UDPP, and the pigmentation is great for all of them, as you will see in the below swatch pictures. The textures varies with each finish/color, but in general they are all finely milled and not gritty. However, maybe because these are finely milled loose shadows, the powder for certain shades tend to gather into little balls in the jar. The clumping doesn't pose any major problems, but you will want to be careful when applying since when you crush the balls, more color/powder may come out than you expected.


Alright, let's start on the top left. Black Plum is a (surprise!) plum color with fine multicolored shimmer and medium silver shimmer. If you look at the product picture above, you can see how much shimmer is in this color. This color is great for using as a liner to give some definition to your eyes without looking too sharp.

Next, we have Fyre & Ice, a black shadow with medium multicolored shimmer that is predominantly pink/magenta. It's definitely an interesting color since I usually see black with red/maroon/burgundy shimmer rather than with pink/magenta shimmer. I don't really remember what it looks like on my eyes, but it's also great as a liner.

Moving on, Shinigami is a blue-toned royal purple with some blue and purple shimmer. The name means the God of Death in Japanese, and it is named thus because it was part of the Halloween 2009 collection. This is the free sample I received from Fyrinnae in the order.

The last in the top line is Karasu, a black with fine dark blue shimmer. Karasu means crow in Japanese, and the color is reminiscent of the color of a crow's feathery coat, black with a midnight blue sheen. I love this color since it definitely looks blue, but it's still dark enough to really make your eyes pop when used as a liner.

In the next line, we have Kurisumasu!, a metallic warm pink shadow that contains some medium silver shimmer. FYI, Kurisumasu is the Japanese way of saying Christmas, and there really is no logical correlation between the name and the color of the eyeshadow (even the staff at Fyrinnae admits this themselves). It's a really pretty color, regardless, but for some reason it also tends to clump up in the jar more than the other shades.


To Kurisumasu!'s right is Nijiiro, which means rainbow color. I believe the name refers to the shimmer in this ivory shade, which is multicolored. This color is actually what I would have named Kurisumasu! because the ivory and shimmer reminds me snow and winter. This color also clumps up a bit.


Next, we have Monarch Butterfly, a black brown with fine burgundy and gold shimmer. Like the other black-ish shades I purchased, this color is beautiful as a liner. It is also part of the Endangered Species collection so part of the proceeds is donated to help save endangered species around the world.


Even though you can kind of see Snow Leopard in the first swatch picture, the above picture is more accurate in color. Snow Leopard is sort of halfway between champagne and rose gold with a metallic finish and very fine shimmers (I actually can't really tell what is the color of the shimmer). The color is really beautiful as a wash over the lids, and this shade also clumps up a bit in the jar.

Next, we have Polar Bear, a yellow gold with lots of fine gold and green-ish looking shimmers. I was expecting a paler gold based on the description and swatch pictures on Fyrinnae's site, but this is actually the color of yellow gold jewelry on me.

Following Polar Bear is Equality, the most shimmery/sparkly eyeshadow of this bunch. It is a slightly taupey silver with medium to fine multicolored shimmers that are predominantly silver or other cool-toned shades.


Next is Dokkalfar, a dark sage green with medium green and gold shimmers. I don't know what the name means, but it reminds of forest elves in fantasy stories ^^


Lastly, we have Mystic, an Arcane Magic shade which is said to be kind of holographic. The color of the shadow is supposed to look different depending on the angle of light to the shadow, but I don't really see any shift in color in Mystic. I don't really mind the lack of obvious holographic-ness since it's still absolutely gorgeous. Mystic is a metallic dark gray with fine multicolored shimmers that are predominantly blue and green, making it look like a gray-ed teal.

All colors in the post are taken under white light.

In short: The highly pigmented, finely-milled, economically priced, and whimsically named loose eyeshadows from Fyrinnae are definitely worth checking out. The great customer service at the e-tailer is also a plus!

MAC Holiday: Magic, Mirth, and Mischief's Sorceress Palette

Finally, a normal title that says exactly what I'm about to review =P Being a purple/lavender-obsessed makeup lover, I've been waiting for the release of MAC's Sorceress palette from the holiday Magic, Mirth, and Mischief collection since news of the collection came out on Temptalia. I was further convinced that I had to get this palette when I read in reviews that the middle-top grey-green color is very unique and interesting. Since I don't have a green and purple palette yet, the devil successfully won the inner struggle in my head, and I walked out of Nordstrom with this palette in hand a couple of weeks ago.


The packaging of this palette is very cute and reminds me of Christmas baubles on Christmas trees. The surface of the lid beside the baubles is mirror-like and very bright, as you can see in the below picture. At one point I was contemplating acting like an Asian guy, i.e., not taking off the plastic covering on the lid so the lid would not become scratched and/or covered in fingerprints. But then I decided that the plastic cover was just too ugly so I took it off anyway.


Before I start talking about the eyeshadows in Sorceress, I just want to mention that I have had very limited experience with MAC. I only own one other MAC eyeshadow palette and I certainly don't know MAC speak with the different eyeshadow textures. So I will be describing everything in my own words.

Sorceress contains six eyeshadows in varying shades of green, grey, and lavender/purple. The texture of the eyeshadows is typical of good Western cosmetic lines like NARS, very smooth but noticeably more packed down than Asian eyeshadows. The pigmentation is decent, and the lasting power is great as long as you have UDPP (haven't tried without UDPP and not planning on trying). The palette contains a small eyeshadow brush, which I believe is unusual for MAC. The quality of the brush is fine, but not anything particularly great.


The different eyeshadows in Sorceress corresponding to the swatch picture below are:

A - White Rabbit - a shimmery and sheer ivory
B - Hold My Gaze - beautiful unique grey-green, has some gold shimmer
C - Edge of Dark - a dark metallic gray
D - Magnetized - a pale shimmery lavender, reminds me of the light lavender in Maquillage's Eye Creator VI367
E - Hypnotizing - a shimmery mauve
F - Altered State - a dark shimmery reddish purple


As you can see, all of the shadows are shimmery to some extent, though none are really loud. My favorite color out of the bunch is (not surprisingly) Hold My Gaze or the grey-green because it is just absolutely gorgeous. The other colors are also nice, but nothing really outstanding or unique. In addition, the different colors in the palette sort of just mesh together when applied on the eyes so the none of the individual colors really stand out, especially Hold My Gaze. Instead of looking like the beautiful grey-green on my arm, Hold My Gaze just looks dirty and gray on my lids ^^"' Maybe it's my lack of skills or something, but the palette really doesn't look as interesting on my lids as it does on my arm even with UDPP, which is rather disappointing.

All pictures in this post were taken under white light (...should've taken pictures while it was still sunny last week!! ><)

In short: A decent palette that looks exciting on page and in swatch pictures, but not exactly mind-blowing when applied on eyelids.

Inspiration - Ueno Juri for Maquillage Holiday 2009

I really like the makeup look on Ueno Juri in the promo pic for Maquillage holiday 2009. The contrast between the bluish silver gray eyeshadow and the Barbie pink lips is very mod, and it's definitely more daring and vibrant than what I remember usually seeing from Maquillage. Yes, the expression on Juri's face is kind of funny, but she is still really pretty ^^ And those are really cool earrings, very space age-esque.

Barbie Hearts Stila: I'm Not Shallow!

Hahah, the title doesn't make any sense unless you read the actual post =P I'm on my continuous streak of firsts, and as my first Stila purchase, I got the limited edition All Doll'd Up eyeshadow palette from the Barbie collection. The reason why this purchase proves that I'm not shallow is because I decided to get this palette after reading a rave review on Temptalia, and I actually would never have gotten this palette just based on the packaging. In fact, originally I thought I might be scared by the Barbie face on the cover every time I open my makeup drawer, but after seeing the product in person, it's not as bad as I thought it would be so I don't think I'll be forced to redecorate the palette ^^

On to the main show. As I've mentioned, I'm not a big fan of the hologram image on the packaging, but the case feels pretty sturdy and seems to be of good quality. My friends and I agree that the best part of the packaging is the big mirror on the inside of the lid that's great for traveling. Surprisingly, there is no plastic covering for the eyeshadows, which is a first in all the mirrored palettes I've ever seen. There's not much fall out with these eyeshadows though, so the mirror has stayed shadow-free with minimal cleaning. Still, I haven't traveled with the palette yet, so perhaps it will be disaster once I do...

The powder in the Stila eyeshadows I've seen in person are probably the silkiest out of everything that I own or have tried, and this palette is no exception. Some of the high end shadows I've seen like Dior's and Guerlain's can be finely milled, but they're packed down so tight that the shadows are kind of hard to pick up. That is not the case with Stila shadows. These eyeshadows are extremely pigmented and easy to pick up (e.g., I just used my liner brush on a shade this morning, and I dented the shadow when I pressed too hard ^^"'). I would actually consider this palette to have the most pigmented non-liner shades out of everything that I currently own. In addition, the lasting power of the shadows are great with UDPP underneath, so no complaint there either. Still, my favorite part of this palette is the number of colors it contains. Following is a swatch of all the colors with flash.

The palette contains 12 shades laid out like you are buying four trios in one packaging, as you can see above. This layout gives those of us who are bad at pairing colors together an idea for how to wear the different shadows, but still allows the creative or adventurous bunch to mix and match from different trios. For the purposes of swatching, I will be introducing the different shadows by the trio they are grouped in. Before we move on to the individual trios, just a note that all shades in the palette have a metallic or shimmery finish to some extent.

First, the shades in the top left trio of the palette are a sheer beige (A1), a warm medium-dark bronze (A2), and a bright pink (A3). The pink looks quite sheer here, but it can be layered on for a more intense effect. Overall, this is a very spring-like trio.


Next, the top right trio contains a vibrant peacock-y turquoise (B1), a medium-dark gunmetal gray (B2), and an intense purple with blue reflect (B3). This trio is very interesting, and when using all three together, one can create a very colorful and vibrant look that's reminiscent of everything MAC. Once again, the purple shade looks quite sheer here, but it can also be layered on for a more intense effect.


The bottom left trio contains a periwinkle blue (C1), a dark midnight blue (C2), and a medium silvery-gray (C3). This is probably my least favorite trio out of the four because the middle shade is a bit chalky and hard to blend, and also because blues and grays are somewhat of a challenge for my complexion. The periwinkle blue serves as a great middle color between the turquoise and purple from previous trio, though.


Finally, the last trio on the bottom right contains a sheer peach (D1), a cool olivey brown (D2), and a light green (D3) that reminds of ferns or geckos (in a good way). The look of this trio is very nature-themed and also somewhat spring-like.

All in all, there are a variety of looks you can create with just this one palette, from natural and understated to loud and colorful. For me, this palette is definitely something I would use more during the summer.

All pictures in this post were taken under natural light unless otherwise noted.

In short: You are going to love this palette if you like pigmented vibrant colors. The price is amazing for the number of colors, the quality of the shadows is great, and you get a huge mirror, what more can you want? ^.~

More Lavshuca~~ Eye Color Select BR-1

I finally caved. After months of convincing myself that I'm not missing out, that I already have many brown/neutral themed eyeshadow palettes, I still ended up getting the very popular Lavshuca Eye Color Select in BR-1. To be fair, though, I don't own any orange/coppery brown palettes that seem to be popular with Asians so I have to get one if I even want to consider myself an Asian-makeup lover ^_^ (I believe that's a pretty solid excuse...) Plus, it was either this or something from Lunasol, so really, I'm saving a lot of money by getting the Lavshuca...

As with the BU-1, PK-1, and PU-2 that I already own from the same line, the packaging is super cute, the texture is great (except the top right sparkly shade is a bit gritty), and the lasting power is the best I've seen yet (at least out of the things that I use often), so let's move straight on to the colors.

The colors in this palette are an ivory base/highlight (A), a orangey copper (B), a medium warm brown (C), and a sparkly peach (D). I have to admit that even though I'm not big on huge sparkles that tend to migrate, my favorite shade in the palette is the sparkly peach color 'cause it's absolutely beautiful. I seriously would not have bought this palette if it weren't for this shade. The other shades are also gorgeous, but the ivory is nothing really unique or special. This palette is my current favorite because of its amazing ability to brighten up my whole face without much work.

For more details on Eye Color Select line, please see my previous review for the other three colors I own. The official application directions are also there. Also, note that all photos in this post were again taken in natural light.

In short: Love!! A reasonably priced palette compared to Lunasol with smooth texture and great lasting power in beautiful but practical colors.