A Purple and Red Eye-popping FOTD (for glasses-wearers)

One of my favourite eye make-up looks is to wear one (at least) shade on my eyelid and another along my lower lashline. Here's a version I've worn a few times to work lately. 

I've been wearing glasses to work since last year, and it's still unsettling for me. I still don't recognize myself and I still struggle to come up with eye makeup looks. My eyesight is poor meaning my glasses are a strong prescription so my eyes look smaller when I'm wearing them, and because I can't see well without them, putting eye makeup on can be difficult. Liquid/gel eyeliner, for example, is impossible to do properly on my left eye when I'm not wearing my contact lenses. I try to find looks that are simple, flattering and help make my eyes stand out behind my glasses.

Anyway, enough complaining and more about the point of this post. This is a colourful but wearable, simple look that make my eyes pop from behind glasses or not.

Here are some close-ups of my eyes.

The products I used for my base are Make Up For Ever HD Foundation in N115 all over my face, with MAC Pro Longwear Concealer in NW20 under my eyes as well as on any areas that needed more coverage. I set it all with a combination of Ben Nye Neutral Set and Pari Mineral Glow. My eyes are primed with Art Deco Eyeshadow Base. Even though this stuff does not work on me, I keep trying just in case it might someday because I hate wasting product. I do find that it does allow whatever eyeshadow you apply on top of it be true, in that it gives it a base to adhere to and in doing so, it's exactly the colour it is in the container. What it fails at is keeping it from creasing. In the photo two above, you can see some fading in my eyeshadow crease. I applied (the amazing) Anastasia Dipbrow in Auburn through my brows to fill them in, give them shape, and to alter the colour to match my hair colour better. 

On my eyes I applied MAC's Heritage Rouge (dirty brown plum) pigment to my eyelids, starting in the inner corner, working across the lid and up into my crease blending it out towards my browbone. I also carried it out into a winged shape on the outside of my eyes.

I kept applying it until I got the effect I wanted. Along my lower lashline, I smudged L'Oreal Paris Infallible in Purple Obsession. The more I blended, the less purple it looked, so I kept adding and blending until I got both a soft, smudged effect and the colour I wanted. 

For some more definition along my lashline, I smudged MAC's Embark eyeshadow, a warm matte reddish-brown colour that adds a touch of definition but doesn't compete with either the Heritage Rouge or the Purple Obsession.

I curled my lashes and applied lots of Givenchy Noir Couture Volume Mascara in Black Taffeta.

On my cheeks I applied a combination of MAC's Stunner and Warmth of Coral blushes to give my skin some colour and to keep it soft so it didn't compete with my eyes.

And for a final touch, I dusted my skin all over with Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused Light, which gives the skin a light glow, and blurs imperfections. 

On my lips, I'm wearing just a sheer lip balm. It's not that I wouldn't and don't wear a lip colour with this look, though I do (usually a MLBB shade). My lips have been chapped and dry lately and lip balm is about the only thing I can wear on them. 

And there you have it - my colourful, my-eyes-are-still-here-behind-these-glasses, fun and simple.

- C.

Ice Storm FOTD

Toronto is cleaning up from an ice storm and it's still a bit dangerous to be outside due to slippery roads and sidewalks and ice-encrusted branches falling, so despite it being December 22 and having things to do to prepare for Christmas, I'm staying in. I was out earlier this morning to take photos - you can see them here - and while a bit scary and dangerous, ice storms are incredibly pretty. Everything is encased in ice. 

Because I'm stuck inside, I decided to do a beauty look I've been thinking about, using purple and silver. I'm calling this the Ice Storm FOTD. It's a pretty basic smoky eye, using purples and I paired it with a bright but subdued lip and neutral, sculpted cheeks. 

Here are some close-ups of my eyes. 

Here's what I did:

On the outer corner of my eyelid I pressed MAC Altered State (deep purple with soft brown-burgundy undertones) in a V shape, and smudging it across the outer half of my lid. I layered it until I got the pigmentation I wanted, buffing as I went to keep it soft. On the inner corner of my eye, I softly brushed Dior Argentic (dark grey/silver), buffing and buffing for softness. On top of the Altered State, I applied L'Oreal Colour Infalliable in Purple Obsession (deep purple with pink and royal purple microshimmer), pressing it on to get the pigmentation I wanted. With a fluffy crease brush, I blended it through my crease to soften some more. The Altered State provides the darkness and depth, while the Purple Obsession gives it lots of shimmer and colour. On top of the Argentic on my inner lid, I applied MAC Silverwear (metallic lilac) to lighten it up. 

Along the outer corner of my lower lashline, I swept a combination of Argentic and Purple Obsession and along the inner corner I applied Silverwear.

To clean up the edges further, I used a clean brush and two of the matte fleshtone shades (Nougat and Honeycomb) from the Sleek Au Naturel palette to buff all along the eyeshadow. 

To define my upper lashline, I used MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack to do a cat-eye flick and once dry, I topped it with some Altered State, using an angle brush. I lined my waterline using Urban Decay eyeliner in Ransom (pinkish-blue-purple) and applied black mascara after curling my lashes.

My brows I filled in slightly with MAC Wedge eyeshadow to keep them neutral and subdued. 

I used MAC The Perfect Cheek blush (neutral rosy pink) to contour below my cheekbones, and I applied MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Soft and Gentle (warm, shimmery champagne-peach-beige) to the tops of my cheekbones as a highlight. 

On my lips I used OCC Lip Tar in Grandma (I think, the name has rubbed off) which is a coral shade that leans quite pink on me (see photo above). I applied a little bit and blotted it down, smudging it with my pinky finger to soften the colour and work it into my lips. I didn't want too strong a colour since I had purple on my eyes. But I think it works well. A little bit of warmth to an icy look. 

My skin is Sleek BB cream, OCC concealer, and Pari Mineral Glow powder mixed with Ben Nye powder to set. 

So there you have it - a sexy, colourful smoky eye look - perfect for a night out in winter! Anyone could wear this look, but it'd be especially smashing with brown eyes. 

Here's me doing my best haughty Ice Queen look. 

Stay warm, safe and dry lovelies!

C.

Sleek i-Divine Ultra Mattes V2 Darks Palette Review, Swatches and Photos

I recently ordered a few products from Sleek Makeup, a UK makeup company. I'd been hearing and reading a fair bit about their very well-priced eyeshadow palettes, highly pigmented blushes and BB cream online and the cost made it very accessible, despite the exchange rate and shipping. More on all of that later though...

This post takes a look at one of the two eyeshadow palettes I ordered, the Ultra Mattes V2 Darks Palette. It costs $9.99 US and contains 12 matte eyeshadows. 

Here's what Sleek has to say about this palette:

Sleek MakeUP's legendary i-Divine palettes are 12 shades of super-pigmented, long lasting mineral based eyeshadow, designed to suit all. Each i-Divine contains pearlescent shades, which contain mica particles that highlight and illuminate giving an overall radiant effect. 

Ultra Matte Darks are creamy and super blend-able. Due to the intense colour, a little goes a long way. The browns, blues and purples ideal for contouring and creating intense eyes. the light creams and whites are also perfect for highlighting inner corners or your brow bone.

12 x 1.1g/12x 0.03 oz

Here are some photos of the packaging.

Back of the box

Shown in my hand to show size.

Back of the palette

The i-Divine palettes have a large mirror on the lid (not pictured) and a clear plastic sheet with the names of each eyeshadow on it. This strikes me as odd since you can't order these eyeshadow colours individually so why would you need to know a name. Still, it's nice to put a name to something. I wish it weren't on a plastic sheet that falls out of the palette each time I open it though. 

The palette also comes with a double-ended applicator. This I just toss. The texture of these eyeshadows works so much better with brushes.

The Ultra Mattes V2 Darks Palette is mix of bright colours (green, blue, purple) and more neutral shades (white, cream, grey). It's a good mix and you could come up with a lot of different looks just using this palette. And they're all matte, which is really rare to find in a palette, especially one so inexpensive. 

Let's look a little closer at the shadows. I opted to photograph and swatch them in fours, from left to right. (Swatches on my inner arm. I am MAC NW15 skintone for reference.)

Clockwise from top left: Orbit, Ink, Maple, Thunder

Here are the first four shades swatched on my inner forearm.

L-R: Orbit, Thunder, Ink, Maple

Orbit is a bright teal with excellent pigment, probably the best in the palette. Texture-wise it's on the creamy side.

Thunder is a medium grey with a bit of a powdery texture. It's one of my favourite colours in the palette.

Ink is a deep sapphire blue that swatches much better than you'd expect looking at the pan. It's a little dusty to apply but has good pigmentation. 

Maple is an orangey-red with good pigmentation and a creamier consistency. The colour reminds me of autumn leaves. This might make a bold but OK blush colour too - hmmmmm?

The middle four shades:

Clockwise from top left: Highness, Noir, Paper Bag,
Flesh

Here they are swatched:

L-R: Highness, Flesh, Noir, Paper Bag

Highness is a very pretty bright purple. Perfectly named, in my opinion, since it's a royal purple. The texture is slightly powdery. 

Flesh is a warm fleshtone shade with good pigmentation. This is one of a few neutral shades in the palette and would make a good base colour for the lids.

Noir is a green-black, which is interesting since the name suggests black or blue-black. I like this colour a lot, though the pigmentation is a bit lacking due to the powdery texture. *There is a Noir shade in the i-Divine Au Naturel palette and I suspect they're the same shade but they look slightly different. The one in the Au Naturel palette is creamier and darker than this one. 

Paper Bag is a very wearable medium red-brown. It's on the creamy size, texture-wise and blended out it's more red.

Here are the last four shades in the palette:

Clockwise from top left: Dune, Pillow Talk, Fern, Villain

And here they are swatched:

L-R: Dune, Villain, Pillow Talk, Fern

Dune is a light yellowy-peach flesh tone and the least pigmented of the palette. It's dry in texture which gives it the lack of pigment.

Villain is a burgundy with a good amount of pink to it. The texture is good, so the pigmentation is decent. This is a great shade

Pillow Talk is chalk white. The pigmentation is good and I used this to do my Halloween makeup this year (I did 60s makeup). A stark white matte eyeshadow like this isn't easy to find.

Fern is a bright forest green that's a bit on the chalky side so the pigmentation lacks a bit. Still, I love this shade. So vibrant!

Just like with the Sleek i-Divine Au Naturel palette, this palette was a mixed bag in terms of texture and pigmentation but all shades, I feel are workable and wearable. Because these are all matte, the bolder and brighter shades may be more intimidating to wear, but I'm very curious to see how these colours work their way into my makeup looks. 

Cost-wise, and in terms of quality, this is an excellent option.

Grade: B

A few things I've discovered about ordering Sleek products online: I looked into a few different ways to get my hands on Sleek products. You can order through the Sleek website directly, or find some products through Ebay. You can also order through Superdrug if you live in the UK. US residents, note that you cannot order eyeshadow from the Sleek website due to shipping regulations, but Canadian residents have no such issues. I ended up going through Sleek directly. Prices were in US$. Shipping was very reasonable. I paid $6.49 US in shipping for an order that came to just over $50 US. There was no duty once it arrived either. I was very happy with the cost! No added charges.

Another thing you should know was that it took about a week and a half for my order to arrive. From the UK. That's fantastic! I was shocked as I expected to have to wait for a month or more as I have ordering things from the UK in the past!

I was also happy that none of the products I'd ordered were damaged when they arrived.

The other Sleek products reviewed on Beauty Squared:

Sleek Blush By 3 in Lace

Sleek i-Divine Au Naturel Palette

Sleek Be Beautiful Blemish Balm

C.