Estee Lauder Pure Colour Stay-On Shadow Paint in Steel Review, Swatches and Photos

I picked up one of the new Estée Lauder Pure Colour Stay-on Shadow Paints recently. These were a new product launched in January 2013 in nine shades. They retail for $28 CDN each.

Here's what the Estée Lauder website has to say about the Stay-on Shadow Paints:

Go from smoky to wildly intense with non-stop shadows lit with shimmer. Pure pigments in a creamy shadow. Light-emitting dimensional pearls create shimmer to high-metallic finishes. Finger paint it onto lids. Glides on quickly, wears infinitely-all day.

TRUE VISION™ COLOR 

• Maximized colour impact
• Magnified vibrancy, clarity and dimension
• Amplified brilliance

FORMULA FACTS
• 12-hour wear
• Crease-free
• Won't fade
• Dermatologist-tested
• Ophthalmologist-tested

I picked up the Stay-on Shadow Paint called Steel, which on the Estée Lauder website looks purple-blue. It most definitely is not purple-blue, it's looks like they've simply labelled it incorrectly. Neon Fuchsia's photo looks the closest to Steel in actuality (and definitely not a "neon fuchsia"). 

Steel is a silver-taupe with a slight yellow-green tinge and sparkle (yellow, gold and red stand out the most). I can't resist a shimmery silver eyeshadow....

Look at this shade! It. is. stunning. 

The texture is interesting. I haven't come across anything similar in my beauty travels. It's sort of a thick liquid, pigment suspended in a sort of thin gel. It's not really cream-like, as you'd expect from a cream eyeshadow.  

It's meant to be applied with your fingers, like a finger paint. You'll want to use your pinkie as it's the smallest finger and so, the easiest to apply with. 

Here it is swatched on the back of my hand, lightly.

And here, more heavily.

I tried applying it to my eyes with a flat eyeshadow brush. This is a good option if you don't want to contaminate your product by dipping your fingers into it. You can apply it to your eye with a brush and then blend with your finger.

However, in the photos below, I used my brush to apply and to blend. On the left, I've applied Steel more heavily and on the right, softly. (The bits of hair on my face are from getting my hair cut earlier that day).

It applied very sheerly, and dries fairly quickly, so you'll want to work fast if you want to build up the pigment. 

As you can see in the below photo, of the heavier application, it got a bit blobby either from the brush application or because the bottom layer dried before I applied the other layers. 

Here it is with the sheer application. You can still see my skin through the product and it's a much lighter silver colour. 

Here is Steel applied with my fingers.

It's kind of in between the light and heavy applications done using a brush. There is a bit of a bare-ish spot on my lid that I just could not get any shadow paint to stay on and I layered it. I'm not sure what happened there. Steel isn't as easy to work with as I'd originally thought, I guess. It takes some effort. 

I was seriously impressed with the lack of creasing in both the light and heavy applications. It dried and it stayed put. For hours. 

You certainly don't need much product to get a good effect. One pot of Steel will last me a long time as it's not a colour I'll wear every day. It's very shimmery. Some of the other shadow paint colours would be wearable every day, such as Pink Zinc, Halo and Chained. 

At $28 CDN, these are pricier than the comparable-in-quality MAC Paint Pots ($22 CDN). But they do wear very, very well. I've only tried them with an eye primer (Urban Decay) so I don't know how these would fare without (my eyelids are oily). If you're in love with any of the colours (such as the Extreme Emerald - the colour of 2013!), and don't mind paying a little more, I recommend. Otherwise, MAC Paint Pots come in more colours if you're looking for a longwearing cream eyeshadow.

Grade: B

My First MAC Eyeshadow: MAC Tilt Eyeshadow Swatches, Photos and EOTD

I would suspect that a good number of women would say that the first eyeshadow colour they bought was a blue-green frosty colour. Mine was. Well, at least, the first MAC eyeshadow I ever bought was. 

I still have the very first MAC eyeshadow I ever bought and thought I might show you. I would have bought this in 1998 or 1999. It's Tilt eyeshadow, which MAC still makes, amazingly. Tilt is violet with blue-green frost, according to the MAC website and this surprises me, I actually have never noticed any purple in it at all. Now I can see it. 

To compare the old MAC packaging with the new MAC packaging, I photographed my Tilt next to a recent purchase (Wedge). 

The newer MAC packaging has the flip-top while the Tilt packaging has a screw-off lid.

White wording on a black sticker on the bottom. Note also, the raised MAC lettering along the edge of the eyeshadow. The newer MAC packaging has the fainter writing on a not-so-black sticker on the bottom. I can see aesthetically why they made the switch, but I've noted that it doesn't take very long for my eyeshadow labels to become very, very difficult to read. They get coated with product or get worn from rubbing against other eyeshadows. I wish the black on the stickers was darker and the writing was brighter. 

And here's that 12-14 year old Tilt. As you can see I didn't use much of it. I grew out of the frosty blue-green phase, I suppose, or perhaps I just never figured out how to wear it. 

Tilt's got a lot of shimmer, and depending on the angle, it can look green-blue, or blue-lavender.

I don't remember how I used to wear it at all. Probably as an all over the lid shade or as a simple eyeliner shade. Since it's still in pretty good shape, still creamy and not dried out, I thought I'd see if i could still do an EOTD with it.

Here's what I came up with!

I applied Tilt all over my lid (look how lavender it looks now!) with my Real Techniques Base Shadow brush. Along my upper lashline, I smudged MAC Contrast (purplish-blue with blue pearl) using an angle brush. Using my Real Techniques Deluxe Crease brush, I applied a small amount of Contrast up along my crease, very lightly. On top of that, and using the same angle brush, I applied MAC Mega Metal Shadow in Unflappable (frosted black with purple pearl) more heavily in the outer crease and lighter towards the inside. Blending, blending, blending and adding a little more and blending again. Using the angle brush I used what was left of the Contrast on it to smoke my lower lashline a little and pulling it up towards the crease in the outer corner of my eye. I wasn't sure if I wanted to use a purple or a blue to line my eyes and I only had one blue and one purple eyeliner to chose from so I opted for the blue. It's Philosophy eyeliner in Creativity, a bright navy-teal blue. I think a dark purple would've worked well, or a navy blue. Or even black depending on how fun or chic you wanted to go. 

I'm kind of amazed how different Tilt look on my eye. It looks like a completely different eyeshadow colour! I might be bringing it out more often now....

If you like the look of Tilt, MAC still makes it. 

Hope you've enjoyed taking a look at my first MAC eyeshadow! Do you remember what your first MAC product was? 

C.

La Roche-Posay Hydreane BB Cream in Light Review, Swatches and Photos

La Roche-Posay recently launched their BB cream and I was sent a tube of this brand new product from LR-P to sample and review. 

Here's some background info on the La Roche-Posay Hydreane BB Cream. From the press material:

Need to camouflage redness, calm skin and restore its comfort, freshness and radiance? 

These are all priorities when skin is naturally sensitive – or sensitized by treatments at your dermatologist’s office!

They are also the vocations of Blemish Balm Creams, originally dermatological creams designed for post- laser use. Hydreane BB Cream fulfills these vocations to perfection; specially created for the most delicate and unpredictable skin thanks to its concentration of La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water...

Hydrates for 12 hours

Hydreane BB Cream embodies all the thermal hydration and comfort of the Hydreane range for all sensitive skin types. The La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water is combined with a hydration complex based on glycerine and sodium hyaluronate, vegetal oils (passion flower, apricot kernel, maize, bran, rice) and Shea butter.

Soothes

When you apply Hydreane BB Cream, skin breathes a sigh of relief, regaining its freshness and “calm” thanks to the naturally soothing effects of La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water. It is a pure, soft water thanks to its near-neutral acidity level (pH) and its ideal balance of mineral salts and trace elements which respects the physiological balance of sensitive skin.

Strengthens

Hydreane BB Cream is not just another “BB”: first and foremost, it is a dermatological skincare product. The naturally high selenium content of La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water aids skin’s defense mechanisms against the free radicals that can cause manifold skin deregulations.

Unifies and illuminates

Hydreane BB Cream contains a unique “BB” pigment dosage. The perfect combination of pigments to suit all skin tones, correct imperfections and instantly unify the complexion. Its rich, almost creamy texture melts into skin without ever caking.

LR-P's BB Creams contain their Thermal Spring Water (found in all of their skin care products) which hydrates and soothes sensitive skin. The LR-P press information wants to make it clear that their BB Cream is not makeup, it's skincare. This is in essence what the very first BB Creams intended (the article here gives one of the best historical backgrounds of the BB Cream that I've yet found) although their arrival to North American brands has touted their makeup properties more than their benefits for their skin. LR-P's BB Cream is "100% skincare and 100% makeup".

The La Roche-Posay BB Cream comes in two shades - Light and Medium - will be released in early March and will retail for approximately $29 CDN for 40 mL. 

Unfortunately, having only two shades is very limiting if you have a skintone that does not fall under the "light" and "medium" categories. Of course, as this doesn't have a lot of pigmentation, it will likely fit more skintones than a foundation or even a tinted moisturizer. It's best, if you're interested in this product, to test it before you buy it. 

The tube I was sent was surprisingly small, definitely smaller than other products (my Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer, Vichy BB Cream and Garnier BB Cream) in my makeup kit. But 40 mL is the same volume as all of the others (the Garnier BB Cream has no size on the tube and there's no info on the website) so it's simply the packaging that is the visible difference. 

Here it is in my hand to show the size. With it being this small, it's easy to carry with you during the day or when you travel.

Some packaging photos:

Basic instructions on the back of the tube. The only warning is to avoid the eye area.

I received the Light BB Cream.

And here it is on the back of my hand. To my naked eye, the cream looks quite pink but it didn't come across in these photos. I was a little alarmed to see how pink it was since my skin has a lot of pink undertones and why would I want to add more? I normally wear something that has more yellow to counter the pink of my skin.

The texture is light, cool and refreshing to massage into the skin. The BB Cream is fragranced, which is too bad since it's meant for sensitive skin and fragrance can be irritating to those with allergies. It's not an overpowering fragrance, however, and if you're not bothered by it, you'll be OK.

Here it is partially worked into the skin on the back of my hand. The skin on my hand is more yellow toned and less pink than the skin on my face, so you can see that the BB Cream is slightly darker (on the right side of the photo)

Here it is almost completely worked into the back of my hand. 

And here is it completely worked into the back of my hand. 

To compare, here is the hand with the BB Cream on it and my other hand, which is bare.

Hand with BB Cream applied.

Hand without BB Cream applied.

Clearly, the BB Cream evens out my skintone, fades discolouration (the pink) and adds slight colour. It also gives a healthy, moisturized glow. Quite impressive. 

Here it is applied to my face. I'm not wearing anything else apart from a serum underneath the BB Cream. 

It provides me with some coverage and certainly brightens my skin, making it look smooth and healthy. It feels great on - slightly cool when first applied - and it applies easily. You can use a brush or your fingers to smooth it into the skin.

My skin is oily, so anything with colour that I put on my skin will get sucked up by the oil within a few hours of application. I need to wear a primer to help prevent this but found applying a primer on top of the LR-P BB Cream streaked it a bit. 

I like the way my skin feels with the BB Cream. It definitely makes it feel smooth, soft and hydrated. It keeps my skin feeling great all day and even after I wash my face at night, it feels more hydrated. As an all-day moisturizer, it's very good. I haven't worn it long enough to see a major difference in my skin but in the short time I've worn it, it's been very impressive.

Personally, I need something that has more pigmentation, as I hate layers and layers and layers of product on my face and my skin is quite pink and it's hard to make it match the skin on my neck with is quite fair and yellow-toned. 

If you're looking for a BB Cream that is gentle, soothing, healing and excellent for your skin, this would be a good one to try. If your skin is sensitive and you're OK with fragrance in your skincare, you might want to take a look at this one as well. 

It is on the lower-mid-range price of BB Creams available in Canada and in line with the other LR-P products. It does exactly what it claims to, so there's value in that.

$29 CDN, 40 mL

La Roche-Posay products are available at Shoppers Drug Mart, Pharma Plus, Pharma Prix and London Drug stores across Canada. You can use the search function on the La Roche-Posay website (bottom left) to find the nearest location to you. 

Grade: A

Beauty Squared Round-Up - February 24, 2013

Here are the beauty links we've found for you for the week ending with February 23. Dig in!

Can thick black liner all the way around the eye look chic? Take a look at Best Actress Oscar nominee Jessica Chastain...

Does your wavy hair need some added fullness? Check out the trick used on Katherine McPhee's hair in the above photo. 

A homemade, edible lip scrub to make those dry, chapped lips kissably soft again.

Make-up artist and beauty blogger Jane Daly takes a look at facial oils. Your dehydrated skin will thank you.

5 tips for making your sunless tan last. 

Finding your "authentic sexy" with Morgan Toombs, authour of Sexy: It's Not That Serious…How to Feel Sexy at Any Age and Size.

8 extra beauty tips that are absolutely worth it. Funny, most of these I wouldn't consider "extra"....

Essential cosmetics, according to LouLou Magazine.

Are beautiful people discriminated against?