Category: eyes

Le Métier de Beauté ‘Kaleidoscope’ Eye Kit

Confession: one reason I like this line is because I get to practice my best French accent when saying it.  Really. But Chelsea at Neimans gave me many other reasons to love Le Métier de Beauté this weekend.  I am so shy with pigmented eyeshadow, so these colors frightened me a bit.  Not after Chelsea got them on me… the pigment is strong but the shades blended to achieve a clean look – one that I would sport during the day or evening.  She said I could just use the first color alone for a neutral look – which I loved.  But I love the layered effect of all the shades even more.  The pink also doubles as a blush, which is great for travel.  The price tag is hefty, but this collection is a serious multi-tasker.

Mally Beauty Volumizing Mascara

At first, I was pleased with the way this mascara added texture and fullness to my lashes.  The brush gave that full look without being clumpy.  But I wasn’t too excited for long – the effect was short-lived.  After only two hours, my lashes looked naked again – not a trace of mascara.  I tried the second-coat trick and that disappeared just as quickly.  How disappointing that a beautiful effect was achieved but the product has no staying power whatsoever.

NYX Caribbean Collection 5 Color Palette Eye Shadow

I am blown away by the quality of NYX cosmetics.  While the blush and some of the eyeliners were slightly disappointing, this 5 color palette knocked my socks off.  I can’t help but compare it to the highly popular Urban Decay Naked Palatte.  While there are not as many colors, the shape of the containers actually makes it easier to use brushes with the NYX palatte.  The colors are highly pigmented but also neutral.  There is very little shimmer to them, which is my preference.  For under $9, this is a no-brainer.

tarte EmphasEYES™ High Definition Eye Pencil

I really like the “tight line” look of eyeliner I learned back in high school.  I was on a search for a tool to achieve this look in pencil form.  An artist confidently pointed me to  EmphasEYES as something that would have staying power when you apply the “tight line” close to your lashes.  But this failed in almost every respect.  The applicator delivered a very wide line after just one use.  There was zero staying power.  No matter what look you are trying to achieve, the delicate and thin pencil makes it hard to apply. So far I have yet to find a pencil to get this look so I am sticking with my gel liner or wet powder.

NYX Slim Eye Pencil

Now I can see why this is so popular.  I am just, just trying out this line of makeup.  I guess better late to the party than to never arrive at all.  First: $3.49. Yep, that’s right.  Second: thanks to coconut oils, this pencil goes on really smooth.  It comes in loads of shades, including tons of neutrals:

Black
Brown
Dark Brown
Light Brown
Charcoal
Medium Brown

The pencil has great staying power.  At this price, you can afford to throw one in your purse, just in case.  What a find!

Laura Mercier Full Blown Volume Lash Building Mascara

I liked the idea of a sculpting mascara since I have seen tremendous effect with simply curling my lashes. This mascara did actually curl my lashes.  Even though it came out a bit cakey, the effect was voluminous.  The formula is supposed to have a “glazing” gel-formula that holds each lash.  But the product didn’t stay on my lashes well.  About three hours in, I got flakes below my eyes.  By bedtime, the effect was gone.  Lesson learned, I am going to stick with my favorites:

d.j.v. beautenizer Fiberwig LX

Voluminous Million Lashes Black