Month: October 2012

NARS Duo in Habanera

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NARS Habanera is technically my first duo eyeshadow purchase, and I say technically because I bought two of these babies in one go, the other color being Paramaribo. I’d swatched this about six or so months ago, but I was hesitant to get something so glittery, so I settled on getting a trio instead (Ramatuelle). As is the case with “things I don’t buy but really, really want,” I have often thought about this duo, going as far as revisiting the same NARS branch and swatching it over and over again. The lighting in the store accentuates the glitter, and I keep saying “No, it’s way too glittery,” but alas. My resolve to “get something else” broke, so now we are here. The question is, of course, Is it worth it? Habanera is a duo that pairs two obvious-but-also-not colors together. The left side of the pan is a frosty mint green that seems to have some hints of silver and, at turns, ice-blue. It’s a smooth, creamy color that applies so well and is …

FOTD: NARS Ramatuelle & Chanel Boy (Rouge Coco Shine)

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My “gateway drug” into make-up was a single, harmless stick of Chanel’s Rouge Coco in Perlé (02). Now, I have four Chanel lipsticks, but only because I have been successful at resisting. If I had it my way, I’d buy the whole lot! But that’s another story for another time. Today, the spotlight is on my last Chanel acquisition, from the Rouge Coco Shine line, Boy. I eyed it at the Duty Free counter on the way back from Hong Kong, but I left with what would be my first Rouge Coco Shine shade, Antigone (a pinkish red shade). At the time, I thought Boy swatched a little bit too pink for me, and I didn’t know if I could wear it out so much. I’ve been thinking about this shade for quite a while, and the next time I found myself at a Chanel counter, I grabbed Boy immediately and I’m quite glad I did. As it turns out, Rouge Coco Shine applies somewhat sheer. I myself don’t really like a lot of coverage, …

MAC Trax & MAC Amber Lights

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I got my first MAC eyeshadows yesterday, in a fit of blind consumerism. Overall, I’m quite happy with my purchases—Trax and Amber Lights—as I had been curious about MAC eyeshadows. I’d also been looking for shadows in a nice purple and a shimmery bronze for a while, so these pretty much fit the bill. MAC Trax First up is MAC Trax, which is a purple velvet shadow with quite a bit of shimmer. Velvet shadows give a softer color than what they look like on the pan and have a velvety texture. You can use them as a wash or as a light shadow. I like to think of them as toned blending modes on Photoshop. Trax has decent color payoff, but is only obviously purple if you use a base or a primer. On its own on my skin tone, it kind of looks like the beginnings of a glittery bruise. Next is MAC Amber Lights, a peach-y golden bronze shadow with considerable shimmer. It is a Frost shadow, which appear to be metallic …

Benefit’s Lemon Aid

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Benefit’s Lemon Aid is a “color correcting eyelid primer” meant to correct discoloration and hide unsightly veins or bumps on eyelids. It can be worn under makeup or alone. I’d been looking for an eyelid primer I could use as an alternative for Etude House Proof 10 Eye Primer, which I had been using. It tends to dry and set pretty permanently if I don’t spread it around quickly. Plus, the bottle is an annoying curvy shape—like Genie’s bottle, or Genie himself, for that matter—with a lot of places the doe-tip applicator can’t really get to. I feel that wastes a lot of product. I have read up on Lemon Aid, and it seems that a lot of people are not fans of this product. However, these reviews by Musings of a Muse and The Makeup Snob have convinced me to pick it up and try it for myself. Lemon Aid comes in a cute, slim and compact case that includes a mirror as big as its snap on lid. L: Lemon Aid, unblended, R: …