A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

L’Oreal Color Infallible* are a newly released set of 8 eyeshadows that pack one hell of a pigment punch!

Housed in squat screw-top pots… are they creams, pigments or pressed powders?  Well… they’re a bit of everything.  A hybrid eyeshadow with the texture of a cream, the density of a pigment and convenience of a pressed powder!

Sounds great right?  Well… they’re fairly awesome but as is usually the way, not without fault.

The lid unscrews to reveal a plastic ‘press’ which keeps the powder compacted inside the well of the pot.

The pigment under the press is a little tricky to reach with fingers (especially if you have nails!) because it’s located a little way inside the pot rather than level to the edge.  If you use a brush, this obviously wouldn’t be an issue but does make for a sheerer application.

The colours are strong and true with a blendable almost creamy texture.  Shimmery without being too metallic, they make for some really easy looks.  Infact, I can blend this easily with just my fingers for a super-quick morning pick me up!

Unfortunately, I found lasting power to be a little disappointing as these had a tendency to disappear from my lids after about 3 hours… congregating firmly in the crease in a strong, greasy line.  They fared better with primer but I still only achieved around 5 hours wear from them on my normal (not hugely oily) lids.

Having said that, some of the shades look amazing in the promo pictures and I’ll still be picking up All Night Blue from the range (a midnight  blue shade).

Talking of shades, here are the current available tones:

All Night Blue (a midnight blue)
Purple Obsession (smouldering purple)
Endless Chocolate (brown shade shown in my swatches)
Time Resist White (luminous, delicate white)
Burning Black (incandescent black with purple shimmer)
Flashback Silver (metallic silver)
Permanent Khaki (green shade shown in my swatches)
Eternal Black (true black)

L’Oreal Color Infallible Eye Shadows are available nationwide and priced at £6.99 / €10.79 each.

* press sample

I’m still unsure about whether or not to go for Chanel’s Holiday/Christmas lipstick in Magnolia…. it’s a lovely medium pink but I think it might just be a little too shimmery… frosty-looking even.

Either way, I couldn’t be more in love with the Chanel Tentation Cuivree palette that I picked up last week.

I’ll do a proper post with close up and swatches but here’s a very quick FOTD to be getting on with.

Face:

Prori Coffeeberry Perfecting Foundation #1
Eve Pearl Blush Trio – Sweet Cheeks

Eyes:

Les 4 Ombres Chanel Tentation Cuivree Palette (2 darkest shades)
Boots No7 Exceptional Definition Mascara
Illamasqua Eye Brow Cake in Gaze

Lips:

L’oreal Color Riche Serum Lipstick in Beamy Plum

As usual I’m doing my ‘use the least amount of products I can get away with’ trick.  Only out of necessity rather than choice.  I’m also currently trialling Priori Coffeeberry Perfecting Mineral Foundation which I’ll be reviewing as soon as I can get a well lit before/after shot.

Have a great Tuesday beauty addicts x

I promised some decent swatches of some of the goodies that my beautiful friend Julia sent me from her home country, the Philippines!  Is there anything more exciting than surprise swap parcels from far away destinations?  Errr NO!

By the way… check out the backdrop, same location but finally entered the 21st Century and got ourselves some of that new-fangled double-glazing stuff – here’s hoping this Winter will feel warmer than the last!

Ok, so back to the 4U2 I-Pro Professional Eye Make-Up Palette in Contemporary (what a mouthful!)…

Nicely packaged in a sturdy plastic housing that feels secure and substantial… it opens to reveal a large, clear and distortion-free mirror and 8 vibrant, shimmering eyehadow shades.

The shades all lean toward the pastel, so this will make a perfect choice for some fresh, Spring looks.  All pans have a texture like butter with a colour payoff that matches our own Sleek Makeup offerings.  The difference being that I don’t get the same amount of fall-out with these shades as I do with the Sleek eyeshadows.

And some swatches (on bare skin)…

Aren’t they lovely?

Colour me jealous… I want this brand to be accessible in the UK!  Who says we get all the best stuff? *sulk*

I believe (after conversion) that this retails at around £13 a palette?  You get about 2.5g of product per pan which works out at around £1.60 per eyeshadow.  I do love an economical purchase!

Are you currently lusting after anything from foreign shores?  Spill the beans!

I was going to do one post that encompassed the entire Christmas Collection, but for the life of me, I couldn’t get a colour-accurate tube shot of the lipstick that I received in my goody bag.  So instead, we’ll have to make do with the eye palette that I was sent home with for now.

Avon’s Luxe Lace True Colour Eyeshadow Quad in Lace Hues is one of two eye palettes that Avon are releasing in special packaging as part of their Luxe Lace collection which is due to hit their online store at the end of the month.

Lace Hues contains four shades.  A shimmering white-gold, a matte neutral pink, a satin grey/green and a shimmering navy.  The packaging is delightful… a glossy black, well-built palette with pink lace embellishments.  It’s sturdy, secure and the large mirror inside is more than adequate for application’s sake.

On first inspection, it was the navy that caught my eye… it has a brighter blue flash to it… a certain interest that the other shades are lacking.

The texture of each shadow is quite hard and colour payoff is sheer but buildable with a bit of work.  I’ve been wearing the matte pink all over the lid with a touch of the grey/green in the socket and lashings of the blue underneath my lower lashline.  It’s a winning combination.  I’m not so fond of the pale gold highlighting shade as the shimmer is a little chunky and apparent for me.

The matte pink in particular has a tendency to kick up a bit of dust when loading up the brush, but the fallout doesn’t seem to transfer to my cheeks.  I know I’m gonna hit pan on that blue before any other colour though.  Isn’t it lovely?

What is the general opinion on Avon’s eyeshadow palettes?  I have to confess… I’ve never tried one before!

Now, I’m not usually into brand bashing but how about an original idea TheBalm?

A).  Batter Up is a stupid name.

B). Adding the words Creaseless Cream to the title? Oh HAI Benefit…

C). I get that you’re a quirky brand from San Francisco too already…

D). You could have redeemed yourselves by leapfrogging Benefit and going all out on the colour shades…

did you?  DID YOU?

No.

No, you didn’t.

Lame.

Having um said that, I think I’ll still probably try one at some point…. yano, just to satisfy my cream eyeshadow addiction.  Yeah, I’m lame too.

Though… perhaps not if the retail price of £18 (they’re $18 in the US) is to be believed… £18?!  For a TheBalm *insert stupid name* Creaseless Cream Eyeshadow that may or may not be as good as a £14 Benefit Creaseless Cream?  On yer bike.

I took delivery of my Urban Decay Book of Shadows III yesterday!  Well… when I say ‘took delivery’, whoever Debenhams use as a courier left it in one of my hanging baskets.  In the rain.

Why I oughta! *shakes fist*

When I realised, I squealed… wrung my hands for a bit and then got Mr. L to open it while I peeked between my fingers anticipating a very soggy palette.  Thankfully, it had been double wrapped – phew!

It’s a case of image overload I’m afraid… put me in-front of a pretty palette and I get a bit carried away.

Now available online at Debenhams, The latest in the Urban Decay Book of Shadows series follows in the tradition of some rather nifty package design.  It’s another Pop Up!

UD <3 NYC – Check out the embossing on the lid… a fabulous homage to New York City!

Oh, did I mention it lights up?!

Want to see more pictures including close ups of the shades and swatches?  You gotta read past the jump… I can’t flood the homepage with the photos!

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I have the inimitable Pink Sith to thank for this Swatch Saturday.  When she told me all about it’s magical powers of taupeness, I knew I had to have it.  I’m not even gonna bother with a review, just read hers… it answers all the questions you’d ever need to ask.

Oh taupe haters (I know you’re out there), look away now.

Love it.  And I should bloody well think so too at £19.50.

Having said that, it’s a shade that I know is gonna see a LOT of use.  I’m already wearing it today smudged along my lashline as a liner.

Chanel Taupe Grisé #87 is Limited Edition, so if you think it may be for you too… head down to your nearest counter to have a play.

Whilst dodging the weekly shop by loitering down the health and beauty aisles, I thought it might be high time to give the Barbara Daly range another once over after being so impressed by the nail polishes.

I was glad I did, because my eyes alighted on these:

Barbara Daly Easy-on-the-Eye Eye Shadow Pens!

I have to draw the comparison to the Ellis Faas eye pens don’t I?  I mean, c’mon… how could I not?

With the Barbara Daly eye shadow pens costing £5.62 in Tesco vs. Ellis Faas’s £22 only stocked at Liberty offering – there’s no prizes for guessing which is gonna win the price/accessibility war but let’s take a look at some of the colours and application shall we?

Let’s face it… these budget versions from Barbara Daly are never gonna win the “which is sexier” battle.  Take a look at the wonderful Witoxicity for an indepth view at the new Ellis Faas Eye Lights pens if you’re unfamiliar with the eyeshadow pen concept.

Pulling off the lid reveals a nylon brush…. pliable and soft with plenty of give (perhaps a little too much give).  The goal is to draw the creme eyeshadow into the chamber and down the middle of the brush head until it emerges onto the tip of the brush.  To do this, you twist the opposite end of the pen which clicks as it rotates and forces the creme up through the bristles… like so…

Out of the four products that I put to the test, each dispensed product accurately and smoothly.  None of this sudden gushing of eyeshadow that the Ellis Faas pens have been known to do.

There’s some beautiful shades in the range, all very wearable both as shadows or eye liners.  I think I saw another shade while I was on holiday too…. I may have imagined it though, a neutral called Hazel?  Anyway… I think you’ll agree, these look pretty pigmented and lovely no?

The cremes glide on (I use the brush pen to apply directly to the eyelid) and blend with my little finger or a separate brush.  Don’t even bother trying to blend these with the built-in brush… it’s only good for creating hard lines, you’ll be turning the air blue before you know it!

Here’s a quick FOTD with Otter as the main focus.  A great shade for bringing out any green lurking in your eyes!  I’m also currently addicted to wearing Airforce as a thick eyeliner (slightly blended along the edge with a smudger brush).

Wear is pretty decent, it sets fully within a couple of minutes and lasts without creasing for about 5 hours when worn with no base.  I know they’re not hugely sexy… I mean, for god’s sake – they have the words “make up” printed on them, but they’ve impressed me!

Check them out next time you’re in Tesco!

Have you tried the Barbara Daly Easy-on-the-Eye pens before?  Which shades are you liking the look of?

I bought a green eyeshadow.  Not just any green eyeshadow, an expensive green eyeshadow.  Not just any expensive green eyeshadow, but a pale green expensive eyeshadow.  With frost.

I tried it on.  It made my eyelids glow.  Glow like they were from 1982.

Sigh.

Have you made any compulsive and slightly ridiculous purchases lately?

C’mon, tell me!

Here’s (a virtual) £60.

The catch is, you can only buy one thing with it and it’s got to be a palette.

And NO(!) it’s not allowed to be the new Urban Decay Naked palette or we’d all just say that one (mostly!)

Here’s my pick:

The LORAC Private Affair palette ($38)

Look at those beautiful cool tones!  I’m not saying that I’m wishing Autumn/Winter upon us… but if I had this palette, it would make the inevitable seasonal shift much easier to bear!

Anyone else fancy a bit of virtual Sephora Sweep – link me up!

One of my favourites, it’s a sheer… which meant that I didn’t like it for about a week when I got it.  Until I discovered how easily it layered… and THEN discovered how easily I could use it as a crease colour without giving myself Panda eyes!

A cool toned violet/brown taupe with a hint of shimmer.  Urgh, even just describing it makes me wanna take it out and wear it right now (it’s 2am and I’ve washed my face already).

It’s my versatile friend that makes it possible for me to do subtle smoky daytime looks.  Without it, I’d be screwed.  I’m not being melodramatic, stop looking at me like that.

Thanks Francois, you’re the best.  No, really.

Have you been lemming the new mineralize shadows from MAC’s In The Groove collection but can’t quite stretch to £15 a piece?

I’d like to tell you to get theeselves down to The Body Shop to check out their new Baked Eye Colours.  But at £9.50 a piece, they’re no bargain alternative.

Here’s a swatchfest on the samples I received from The Body Shop.

It’s a picture-intensive post, so if you wanna check out more swatches from The Body Shops new Baked Eye Colour range…. read on…  (W = Applied Wet, D = Applied Dry)

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