eyeshadow – Makeup Most Wanted

Tag: eyeshadow

21
Oct
2016

Most Wanted Fall Eyeshadow

categories: Makeup Most Wanted, Makeup Reviews

Fall is really my favourite time of year for makeup. I love the warmness of the shades and I love that you can play around with different finishes and colour combinations. Other than fall nail polish, fall eyeshadow is my absolute favourite, so these are our Most Wanted Fall Eyeshadows
Kat Von D Metal Crush Eyeshadow in Synergy
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This metallic copper bronze shadow just screams fall to me. I’ve gotten to the point where I generally like single shadows better than a palette because I can mix and match. Kat Von D’s Metal Crush shadows are some of my favourites because they’re so creamy and blendable and I find there’s minimal fallout. They also have incredible staying power for a metallic shadow, especially if you use a primer first. I have two Metal Crush shades I love an insane amount and Synergy is one of them.
Paul & Joe Eye Color CS 102 Les Feuilles Morte
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If you’re going to do a post on fall eyeshadow, you have to include one where the shades are inspired by autumn leaves. You can wear each shade of this trio individually, but if you mix them together you get this gorgeous dark rose gold. I love Paul & Joe’s packaging, especially the limited edition designs and the light paper packaging. You just have to be careful not to leave it too close to the sink or get it wet.
Lise Watier Chic & Rustique Palette
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I adore Lise Watier’s palettes, especially around the fall and holiday seasons and I especially love this one. Three of the shades are matte and three are shimmery. The colours range could be the definition of fall, with green, rust and brown. What sets these shadows apart is that their formula is half cream and half powder, so you get the best of both. They’re really creamy and blendable and there’s virtually zero fallout.
Quo Cosmetics Clean Sweep Eyeshadow Palette
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If you’re looking for shades that aren’t typically fall, this Clean Sweep palette might be what you want. With shades ranging from gold to grey to blue, there are a ton of options for different looks here. The shadows are a little on the powdery side, so you’ll need a primer to get good coverage but this palette is a great option for someone who loves to play with different shadows.
GOSH 9 Shades – To Be Cool In Copenhagen
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To Be Cool In Copenhagen is pretty much my essential matte palette. It has a great range of shades from nudes, to browns to black which makes it something I use on an almost daily basis, even if I’m using it as a base under other shadows. The shadows are powdery but not chalky and they’re a good size for a palette. There are a few other palettes in the 9 Shades collection but I really like this one the best and can see myself replacing it if it ever runs out.

21
Sep
2016

Tarte Tarteist Metallic Shadows

categories: Makeup Collection, Makeup Reviews

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One of my favourite things about being a beauty blogger is trying new products that are destined to be instant classics and aren’t an eyeshadow palette. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good palette, but there’s something to be said for eyeshadow singles and the ability to put whatever shades you want together. Until now, I’ve only used Tarte shadows in a palette and most of them have been matte, which is my shadow preference. I’m really not a sparkly, glittery kind of girl so I tend to gravitate toward matte anything. But Tarte has just majorly stepped up their shadow game with Tarteist Metallic Shadows.
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With eleven shades that are all fairly neutral (so far), there’s a shadow that can fit into any look whether it’s day or night, dramatic or subtle. The packaging is pretty flimsy but you can pop the shadows out and put them in a magnetic palette. The star of these shadows is the formula. These are buttery and pigmented and shimmery but not glittery. They’re smooth and blendable and work really well together. I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of fallout but you’re definitely going to want to use a primer with these. The colours are pretty spectacular. I personally love Poker Face (silvery lilac) and Dame (dusty rose) but I really liked all five I tried. There are a couple others I have my eye on (Sinful, Speakeasy) and I’ll probably end up grabbing them.
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I love Tarte but it’s been a really long time since I was blown away with a new launch by them. This whole Tarteist line has been great but these shadows are the winners for me.

22
Jul
2016

Charlotte Tilbury Luxury Palette in The Golden Goddess

categories: Makeup Reviews

Charlotte Tilbury Luxury Palette Box
A lot of us gravitate towards a beachy bronze eye during the summer. It’s lighter than a dark smoky look and it really just screams summer. Charlotte Tilbury’s The Golden Goddess Luxury Palette is probably the best quad I’ve ever used for this kind of look. I’d already tried the Luxury Palette in The Vintage Vamp and it’s quickly become one of my favourite palettes. The Golden Goddess is set up exactly the same way.
Charlotte Tilbury The Golden Goddess Luxury Palette
None of the shadows have names, instead you’re told how to use them. The top left is called Prime and it’s the base shade. The top left is Enhance and if you’re going for a simple daytime look, you can basically stop there. But to me, the bottom shades are the stars. The bottom left is Pop and bottom right is Smoke. Both of these are a creamier formula, while the top are more of a typical powder shadow.
Charlotte Tilbury The Golden Goddess Luxury Palette Swatches
I love that with just four shadows, you can come up with a bunch of different looks and this palette will definitely transition well into fall. I’ve only tried Charlotte Tilbury’s Luxury Palettes and there are still six more I want to try, let alone the rest of the line. I’ve been so impressed with these palettes that I have a feeling I’m going to end up with a collection.

27
Jan
2016

SST Power Stay Makeup Sticks

categories: Makeup Reviews

SST Powerplay Powerstay Collection

If you need a little on the go touch up, try Canadian made SST Power Stay makeup sticks. SST has a stick that you can throw in your purse for anything you might need. They have the perfect combination of qualities being long lasting, waterproof, and highly pigmented.

The Power Stay line includes two lipsticks, one eye shadow, one highlighting stick, and a brow pencil. All of these makeup sticks have some serious colour and staying power, so apply with a light hand because they aren’t as easy to smudge as you might think. The shadow is especially tricky because the long lasting formula doesn’t have much give.

These SST sticks are perfect for travel. I love how they give big power in a small package. I can bring along everything I need to go from day to night in the bottom of my purse. Forget carrying around big heavy makeup bags. That is a thing of the past!

Of all of them, my favourite is the Highlighting Stick. It’s great to apply under your brows or on your cheekbones for a bit of shine.

I can’t wait until they have more colours of shadow and lipstick to give more diversity too.

15
Jan
2016

Essence Cosmetics Make Up Boxes

categories: Uncategorized

Essence Cosmetics has been quickly pulling ahead of the pack in Canada as the best makeup brand for girls who are new to makeup. With these new makeup boxes they are setting themselves even further apart from other brands. Essence has developed makeup boxes for a variety of different parts of your everyday makeup routine. I tried the How to make Brows Wow box and the How to make Smokey Eyes box.

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Both boxes contain everything you will need to get the look they are promising including small brushes, tweezers and step-by-step tutorials. It’s perfect for anyone who’s unsure of themselves when it comes to makeup.

The brows box has a few different colours of powder, so you can match your hair colour. The step-by-step is crucial for anyone who has never shaped their own brows. It’s great to get tips to ensure that you do it right.

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The Smokey Eye box has six sparkling eye shadows to get not just a regular smokey eye, but a glammed up version. Again, there is a step-by-step tutorial for newbies. Since how to do a smokey eye is probably one of the most google makeup searches of all time, we know there are lots of people out there who could use this reminder.

Overall these little makeup boxes are a great idea. We hope that essence keeps on developing these kits for all of the makeup newbies out there.

28
Oct
2015

MAC Magic Of The Night Collection

categories: Holiday, Makeup Collection

I can’t believe October is almost over and we’re already doing holiday posts but if there’s one beauty brand that does the holiday season right, it’s MAC. Magic Of The Night is only the first installment of MAC’s holiday collection this year and it’s no surprise that the products are fabulous. Magic Of The Night isn’t the largest collection ever but there’s a lot of variety with five Colourdrenched Pigments, two Pearlglide Intense Eye Liners, two Lip Pencils, four Lipsticks and two In Extra Dimension Skinfinishes.

The lipsticks we received are Evening Rendezvous (matte reddish purple) and Please Me (matte muted-rosey-tinted pink). MAC’s matte lipsticks are my my favourite of all their finishes, the staying power is incredible and they don’t dry out my lips. I was worried Please Me would wash out my pale skin colouring but it’s actually really flattering and Evening Rendezvous is perfect for a night out.

I’ve never tried the Pearlglide Intense Eye Liners before and I’m so impressed with the texture. We have the Black Swan shade and it’s a gorgeous black with a tiny but of shimmer and these are well named because they really do glide. The Lip Pencil we received is Redd and it’s a classic bright red liner that goes on smoothly.

Shaft Of Gold In Extra Dimension Skinfinish might be the highlighting product I’ve been looking for. I can use it as a blush or a bronzer and it’s not too dark for me. Because it’s a liquid powder highlighter, it blends beautifully.

One of my favourite MAC holiday products are the Colourdrenched Pigments because they’re pressed and much easier to apply. No Taboos is a gorgeous blackened blue but I’ve been eyeing the teal Tonight’s The Night! and might need to grab one before they sell out.

This collection alone would’ve been a fantastic holiday collection but knowing there’s so much more coming from MAC for the holidays makes me so happy. You should probably grab some early because it’s all going to sell out.

09
Oct
2015

Clarins Fall 2015 Collection Pretty Day + Night

categories: Makeup Collection

Instead of having a basic seasonal collection that’s basically just new shades for fall, Clarins has taken it one step further and introduced their Pretty Day + Night collection. There are two separate collections for day and night, the products we received are for night. We tried the Ombre Matte Cream-to-Powder Matte Eyeshadow in Carbon and the Kohl Eye Pencil in True Violet.

The shades are really great for fall. I don’t wear a lot of black eyeshadow, or purple eyeliner for that matter but these products are really easy to incorporate into a routine. The kohl liner wasn’t as great as the one I tried from the Aquatic Treasures collection. It’s not quite as creamy or pigmented but it didn’t drag on my eyes as much as it did on my hand when I was swatching. The colour lasts all day as well.

I love the Ombre Matte shadow, It’s smooth and easy to apply, I use my fingers and once it sets it’s there until you take it off. Carbon is a great black that can be used as a shadow or a liner and you really only need to use a tiny bit. The swatch is one swipe.

I love the idea of a collection that’s more about helping people figure out their makeup and really wish there were more of them.

09
Sep
2015

Velvet 59 The Exotic Lotus Palette

categories: Makeup Reviews, Palettes

We love trying new companies so when we were offered a chance to try Velvet 59 By Paris Manning, we were definitely interested. Then we found out that Velvet 59 is cruelty, gluten and paraben free and vegan on top of that and our interest level went way up. The first thing we got to try was The Exotic Lotus Palette. Just the packaging alone was enough to make me want to love this palette. Isn’t it gorgeous?

This palette has eight shades ranging from pinks to oranges to browns and there are different finishes as well (satin, matte, sparkle). The texture to these shadows are pretty incredible, they have a velvety feel (which is fitting considering the brand name) and the pigmentation was fantastic. Also, almost zero fallout.

Velvet 59 The Exotic Lotus Palette Swatches — Cherry Blossom, Tiger Lily, Sake Plum, Princess of China, Meiling, Kyoto Kimono, The Silk Road, Smoked Tea

I honestly haven’t seen another palette recently that’s more perfectly suited for fall (Tiger Lily is a personal fave) and I can already tell I’m going to get a lot of use out of this palette. I really can’t wait to try more products from Velvet 59 and see what other palettes they come out with.

31
Jul
2015

Makeup Most Wanted July 2015 – Alyssa’s Picks

categories: Makeup Most Wanted

Toronto’s in a heatwave this week so I’ve been wearing the bare minimum of makeup but that definitely doesn’t reflect my whole month. These were my necessities for July.
NARS Dual-Intensity Eyeshadow in Pasiphae

This is a brand new shade from NARS for fall and I’ve only seen it in one store on a shopping trip to Buffalo. I must have walked past it six times, each time thinking how pretty it was and how I needed it and boy does it live up to what I expected. I couldn’t get a photo to show how truly gorgeous this shimmery burgundy green is. I love that it’s got completely different finishes when used wet or dry. This is definitely my latest obsession.
Stila Stay All Day Precision Glide Brow Pencil in Blonde

I definitely don’t fill in my brows nearly as often as I should considering they’re almost white. But I do love a brow pencil and Stila’s Precision Glide in Blonde is perfect for me. It looks completely natural, is easy to use and lasts until I take it off. Which is in this heat is fantastic because who wants to worry about their eyebrows sliding off?
derma-e Microdermabrasion Scrub

My skin always feels more clogged in the summer because of all the sweating and this scrub makes it feel so much better. It’s really light and gentle but grainy enough that you actually feel it doing something. Plus it only takes a minute and lemon scent is amazing.
Lise Watier Rivages Bronzing Powder

I’m so fair that half the time even the lightest shades of foundation are too dark for me. So needless to say bronzers don’t really work for me. Rivages Bronzing Powder is one of the first that doesn’t make me look like a Kardashian, so when I want a little colour I use this with a light hand for a nice glow.
Marcelle Cleansing Cloths

Because I don’t want my makeup a sweaty mess in the summer, I use a ton of waterproof products, setting sprays, basically anything that’ll make it stick. That makes taking it off a real job. Marcelle’s Cleansing Cloths are fantastic at letting me take off my makeup without feeling like I’m taking off a layer of skin. These cloths are larger than most so I have more surface area to work with. They’re extremely soft and not too wet. I love that I don’t feel like I have a layer of film on my skin when I’m done and these get off even the most waterproof of mascaras.

30
Jul
2015

Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette

categories: Makeup Reviews, Palettes

We don’t usually do a ton of reviews on products we buy. Partially because we already have tons of press samples to review and partially because, well, we don’t buy as much as we used to because of previously mentioned press samples. But when I saw the Naked Smoky palette in person, I needed to buy it.

I love Urban Decay but unlike what seems like everyone else, I don’t love the Naked palettes. I own Naked3 and use it quite a bit but I need more diversity in a palette so I usually stick to palettes like Vice3 . Naked Smoky has so many more options than the other Naked palettes I’ve seen and it’s by far my favourite one. Just the packaging alone is gorgeous.

The twelve shades range from pink to taupe to silver, purple and black. I love that there are multiple finishes in one palette (satin, shimmer, matte). Each eye shadow is so pigmented that you really don’t need to use a lot but like most Urban Decay shadows, there’s a lot of fallout. Especially with the non-matte shades. But they’re extremely blendable and there are unlimited look options. Urban Decay also included four smoky look instructions. All the shades go well together and even if you don’t want to go smoky there are so many other ways to play around with this palette.

I never seem to like brushes that come with Urban Decay’s palettes but I actually really like this one. The bigger side is really fluffy and great for a base shade and the smaller side is perfect for blending and smudging to get that perfect smoky look.
It’s been a really long time since I’ve bought a palette but I’m glad I picked this one because I love so many things about it, especially since the shade will be perfect for fall makeup and that’s coming up sooner than we think.