A Golden Brown EOTD

Golden brown texture like sun,

Lays me down with my mind she runs,

No need to fight,

Never a frown with golden brown. 

Those are lyrics from The Stranglers song 'Golden Brown'. It's actually about heroin but it's the first thing I thought of when I titled this tutorial. So let's look at those lyrics very superficially for this purpose. It's a great tune too, so check it out!

I've been on the hunt for simple eye looks for day that use colours that make my eye colour pop. I'm specifically looking for a copper shade that's somewhat subtle that I can wear on my eyes. It occurred to me that I don't really have anything like that in my makeup kit. So I thought I'd play with some of the shades I do have - in shades that do enhance blue eyes. I chose MAC's Satin Taupe (a long time favourite), Bare Escentuals Sex Kitten (another favourite) and the coppery-gold shade from MAC's Stacked 2!.

MAC's Satin Taupe is a classic MAC eyeshadow, a shimmery taupe. This shade is neutral enough for all eye colours and the warm tones in it enhances blue (and green) eyes. 

Bare Escentuals Sex Kitten is a sparkly nutmeg shade. The warmth in it makes it a good shade for blue (also hazel and green) eyes. 

The coppery-gold shade in the MAC's Stacked 2! is a basic, glowy cool-gold shade with a slight copper tone to it that warms it up.

I don't know how successful this eye look was. It didn't make my blue eyes pop as much as I was hoping, but also certainly didn't overpower them or dull them down. I'll keep looking for that perfect daytime eye look that makes my eyes really pop, but this is a simple, subtle, basic look that would work well for day. And not just for those of you with blue eyes. 

Here is what I did:

1. I applied a primer (Urban Decay's Primer Potion) to my eyelids.

2. With an eyeshadow brush I pressed the Stacked 2! shade gently into my lid, focusing on the inner half. Note: this shade looks warmer in its container than it did on my skin. I continued to layer it until I got the effect I wanted. 

3. With another eyeshadow brush, I applied Satin Taupe to the outer corners of my eyes, focusing mostly on a > shape (horizontal V), along my lashline and up and across my crease, ending about halfway across my eyelid. One of my favourite things about this look is how the Stacked 2! shade and Satin Taupe intermingle in the middle of my eyelid. 

4. With an angle brush, I smudged Sex Kitten along my upper lashline. On the outer corner I turned the brush sideways and pulled Sex Kitten up into the Satin Taupe, blending the two together. 

5. With the same angle brush, I smudged Sex Kitten softly along my lower lashline. 

6. I left my browbone bare, as I tend to do these days (I have heavy bangs). Also, this look has a fair amount of shimmer so while a brow colour with a soft bit of shimmer would be effective, anything more might be too much for daytime. If you recreate this look, try it!

7. I curled my eyelashes using my Shu Uemera eyelash curler (BEST eyelash curler I've ever used) and applied L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara in Black to my upper eyelashes only.

I like this look a lot. One thing I didn't like was that the Stacked 2! shade irritated my eyes badly. Even after I washed my face and removed my contacts, I had a headache and fuzzy head that lasted for the rest of the day. So I won't be wearing this look again using that shade. I'll have to use a different but similar shade. 

What do you think of this look? Will you try it? Do you have any favourite shades or eye looks for making blue eyes pop? Do you have a deep, pure love for Satin Taupe too?

C.

MAC RiRi Hearts MAC Bad Girl Gone Good Blush Review, Swatches and Photos

In addition to the Cream Colour Base in Diamonds, Bad Girl Gone Good powder blush is my other favourite product from the limited edition RiRi Hearts MAC collection. If you missed it's launch in MAC stores and online, you still have a good chance to haul it tomorrow at MAC counters in The Bay ($27.50 CA/$23.00 US).

Photos on NC 35/40 skin, in natural light. Apologies for the somewhat dim light as these were taken in the late afternoon.

Described by MAC as a "warm copper", in the pan Bad Girl Gone Good looks fairly dark and orangey-brown like a bronzer. On my skin, it transforms into a medium dark peach with slight brown undertones. This is definitely a fall blush colour - it's dusky and earthy - not your usual bright pop of summer coral. It took me a long time to appreciate brown based shades of blush such as this one because I always thought brown based shades would look muddy against the skin. However, what makes brown based blush shades great is that they usually are very neutral, and therefore are great to pair with more dramatic eyes or lips.

RiRi Hearts MAC Bad Girl Gone Good

It applies smoothly, blends well and is buildable. This would be a great colour to pick up for medium to dark skin tones. On lighter skins this could be a great contour/peachy bronzer shade. Despite my overwhelmingly large collection of blushes, I can't think of one I already own that is like this colour. Recommended!

Grade: A

J

Chanel Superstition Fall 2013: Les 4 Ombres in Mystère 43, Review, Swatches and Photos

This review is a little late to the game as Chanel's fall collection has been out since August, but the collection is still available online and on counters at such retailers as The Bay and Holt Renfrew in Canada.

I have the American version of the eye shadow quad for review which features the non-baked eye shadow formula (Canadian and European counters get the baked version). This quad is LE and retails for $59.00 US/$62.00 CD. Photos in natural light, swatches on NC 35/40 skin.

Mystère features four shades (clockwise from the top right): a sheer cream with tiny gold flecks, a satin mid tone cool grey brown, a light satin taupe and a deep green/brown/black with tiny gold flecks.

I swatched this quad two ways, the top swatch is on bare skin and the bottom swatch is on top of Urban Decay Primer Potion. This quad got mixed reviews on the interwebs, with some notable blogs such as Temptalia panning it, and other blogs such as Beautezine loving it. 

The apparent deal breaker for some is the level of sheerness of a few of the shadows.  Both the cream shade and the taupe shade are fairly sheer, even on top of primer as my swatches attest. If we use Le Metier de Beaute's shadows as a marker for pigmentation/opacity (100%) then I would rate the cream and taupe shadows at 55% opaque and the two darker colours at around 70-75% opacity.  While I did find using them over primer increased the opacity, only the darkest shade showed a dramatic change, while the cream and grey brown shade showed modest improvement and strangely the taupe shade almost remained the same!

For me, the sheerer quality of these shadows isn't a deal breaker, sheerer eye shadows can mean less blending. In the end, I do think Chanel should offer a creamier, less powdery and more pigmented formula as seen in the Topkapi palette for their regular offerings given the price point of their palettes. What I do really like about this palette is the range of cool neutrals and satin finish shadows. Cool neutrals are a favourite of mine, and these shades can run the gamut of looks from natural to sophisticated to edgy. 

Grade: B