EYESHADOW

Suqqu KAKITSUBATA Eye Color Palette FOTD

October 9, 2011

I have an important mission to complete today, which is to convince many of you that Suqqu KAKITSUBATA 杜若 (reviewed here) applies just as beautifully as it looks in the palette. I had the same concern as many of you with the blue shade as it is out of my comfortable zone. But I am very confident with Suqqu – just like Visionary Beauty said, it is such a sophisticated brand that is just wearable across the entire range. (her blog also has many wonderful reviews on Suqqu products, check it out!)

EOTD (I have decided to include brushes in this post as this is one of my most frequently asked questions)

Upper Lid:

Applied the matte cream beige color as a base from lash line to brow bone.

Using the Suqqu eyeshadow brush large (reviewed here), applied the shimmery peachy shade all over the eye socket area.

Apply the blue shade along the lash line and the outer v.

Using the Suqqu eyeshadow brush medium (not yet reviewed), layer the shimmery mocha shade on top and blend slightly outward past the crease of the eye.

Lower Lid:

Using the Chanel precision eye brush 24 , intensify the outer corner with the blue shade.

Using the Laura Mercier smoky eye liner brush, smudge the mocha shade into the lower lash line.

Applied the peachy shade on to the inner corner for highlight.

FACE:

Since the Chanel Perfection Lumiere Foundation is about 1 and a half shades darker on me, I mixed it with the Shiseido UV White Protect Base in Green to match my current skin color.

Dior Radiant Base is applied along the cheekbone for extra radiance.

Shiseido natural finish cream concealer is applied under the eye areas.

CHEEKS:

Applied the peach side of Suqqu Balancing Cheek OSHAGECHA from the centre of the cheeks towards the temples.

Contour using the darker side (which is THE perfect contouring shade for fair complexions) along the jawlines, and along the sides of the nose bridge.

Highlight the cheekbones with the purple side of the MAC Hang Loose Mineral blush.

LIPS:

Prepped my lips with the Chanel Hydramax Lipbalm first, then add color with Bobbi Brown Lip Color in Salmon.

OVERALL LOOK:

Are you convinced yet that Suqqu KAKITSUBATA is wearable?

{ 24 comments }

Labels: BOBBI BROWN • EYESHADOW • FOTD • SUQQU

Suqqu KAKITSUBATA and MATSUKASA Review and Swatches

October 4, 2011

I have been using the Suqqu 01 KAKITSUBATA 杜若 and the Suqqu 03 MATSUKASA 松球 interchangeably in the past few weeks, the weather has been looking sad and gloomy so I haven’t had a chance to take FOTDs for you… so I might as well share my thoughts and some swatches with you today.

Suqqu Blend Eye Color Palettes are one of the most expensive palettes I own. I bought them in UK currency and I believe they retail more than Chanel quads and Dior quints but less than Tom Fords. So are they worth the high price tag? That’s a YES in my opinion. The high quality of Suqqu eye shadows is reflected in every aspect – from the ultra sleek, expensive looking but understated packaging, to the enclosed brushes that are made of 70% squirrel hair.

Unlike MAC that has a large customer base from students to the makeup pros, Suqqu is a brand that is targeting at a specific group of customers – women who are confident and love to wear makeup to enhance what they have, rather than having fun and being playful with makeup. Their color selections are very neutral hence office appropriate.

First Quad is the Suqqu 01 KAKITSUBATA 杜若 – this is one of their best sellers and is featured in Suqqu advertising campaigns.

All Suqqu Blend Eye Color Palettes contain two shimmery shades (top row) and two matte shades (bottom row). The shimmer shades last about 8 hours on me without creasing, and the matte shade last about the same time but starts to fade after about 4-5 hours of wear. They impart a silky veil of colors to the eyes – nothing dramatic but elegant and poised. Applying them using my Suqqu eye brushes is enigmatically pleasant.

A closer look at the eye shadows:

Suqqu 01 KAKITSUBATA 杜若 Swatches

Suqqu’s shimmery shades are second to none, because the finish is the finest sheen you can get from the market and they stay intact for the whole day. All my swatches are taken very close up therefore you can see the lines. In actual fact they give younger looking eyes in real life as the eye shadows are extremely finely milled so they smooth out the imperfections.

Suqqu 03 MATSUKASA 松球

Suqqu 03 MATSUKASA 松球 Swatches:

The enclosed applicators

Suqqu KAKITSUBATA and MATSUKASA are available here.

{ 21 comments }

Labels: EYESHADOW • SUQQU

Lunasol Aurorized Eyes in 05 Contrast Variation Review and FOTD

August 21, 2011

One of my lovely readers at phbr.tumblr asked me if I could do an EOTD and FOTD with the Lunasol Aurorized Eyes. She was one of the first people who found my blog and it just means so much to me that I still have readers from the beginning! Lunasol is known for their eyeshadow palettes and quints – they carry many lines in different themes. One of my favorites is the Contrast Variation quints from the Aurorized Eyes Line.

The quints are a pleasure to play with – one of the best amongst my Lunasol collection. The darker colors are rich with a satiny sheen, the glitters you see in the pan do not show up on the eyes. The two lighter colors (the one in the middle and the one on the bottom left) are all flesh toned in Lunasol’s signature wet sparkly finish. Once they are blended out the difference between these two shades is small, although the center shade is more sparkly. All shadows apply silky and buttery smooth with no fallouts.

EOTD:

Upper: Applied the top right shade all over the eye socket area then layered the top left shade along the lash line. As usual I like to apply the darkest shade, which is the purple navy shade on the bottom right on the outer V.

Lower: Applied the bottom left shade along the lash line, the middle shade was added on the tear duct area and the top left shade was used on the outer third of the lash line.

FOTD

The lovely Elaine also did an EOTD with Aurorized Eyes in Contrast Variation, check it out here!

{ 35 comments }

Labels: EYESHADOW • FOTD • LUNASOL

Giorgio Armani Jacquard Woven Eye Color Palette in 2 Review, Swatch and EOTD

August 1, 2011

I played with the second eye shadow palette from the Giorgio Armani Fall collection – Jacquard Woven Eye Color Palette in 2 today. It is definitely more wearable than the first one that I reviewed earlier – I can see myself getting more uses out of this one on a day to day basis.

The quality of this palette is the same as the other. All shades are moderately pigmented with a silky feel. They glide on smoothly and blend effortlessly and can be layered for an intense finish.

Shades description:

Silvery white in a sparkly finish

A pale silvery violet with a hint of grey in a sparkly finish

A taupe in a satin shimmery finish

A clay brown with tiny silver flecks – the silver flecks is only noticeable under certain lighting

Swatches: Under natural day light

With flash to show the flecks

The feature of this palette is that the mix of 3 cool tone shades with a dark warm shade. It seemed an odd combination to me at first, but when I applied them on my eyes, they blended in and complemented each other beautifully.

My macro shots of EOTD! I am still in the initial excited stage:-)

Upper: Applied the taupe all over the eye socket area then smudged the clay brown along the lash line and the outer v. Dabbed a bit of silvery white on the inner corner

Lower: Lined the silvery violet along the lash line, deepened the outer corner with the clay brown shade.

Bottom Line: Both palettes are collector worthy items. They are beautiful, well designed and quite unique in terms of color coordination. However I am a bit peeved at the high price tag (particularly in Australia). At AUD$135 (equivalent to USD$140) for a palette with four reasonably sized eye shadows, it is too expensive for what it is.

{ 12 comments }

Labels: EYESHADOW • Giorgio Armani

Giorgio Armani Jacquard Woven Eye Color Palette in 1 Review, Swatch and FOTD

July 30, 2011

I wore my latest purchase – the Giorgio Armani Jacquard Woven Eye Color Palette in 1 today! It is lovely – the shades are not what I would usually go for in a daytime look. To my pleasant surprise, I was able to pull them off without looking too heavy.

This whole palette feels very luxurious to use (of course it comes with a high price tag). The couture inspired jacquard pattern design is aesthetically pleasant, and this pattern is firmly embossed so it doesn’t come off after a few uses, unlike some other brands. All shades are moderately pigmented for a refined and sophisticated finish with a a creamy and silky smooth texture, in line with the classy Giorgio Armani’s signature looks.

Shades Description (from lightest to the darkest):

– dove-grey with an icy green sheen in a sparkly luminous finish.

– shimmery minty green in a sparkly luminous finish

– army green with fine shimmer

– eggplant in a matte finish

EOTD:

Upper: I applied a very sheer wash of the army green all over my socket to create some depth, then I smudged the eggplant shade along the lash line and the outer v. I then dabbed some dove-grey on the inner corner.

Lower: Minty green along the lash line then I filled the outer corner with the eggplant shade.

On a side note: I just bought a macro lens after so long! These close up shots were taken by the macro lens and I am really happy with the result 🙂

Overall Look:

Other products used on my face:

Cheeks: Giorgio Armani Jacquard woven face color palette

Lips: Giorgio Armani Sheer Lipstick Rouge Transparent in 36 Sunset Pink

The Jacquard Eye Color Palette retails for $135 in Australia, which makes it the most expensive eyeshadow palette I have ever owned!

{ 28 comments }

Labels: EYESHADOW • FOTD • Giorgio Armani

Lunasol Chocolate Cosmos Eyeshadow Palette Review, My everyday look FOTD

July 26, 2011

I managed to get up 10 minutes earlier than usual this morning (unbelievable!) so I quickly snapped a few pictures of my makeup before I left home for work. The eyeshadow palette I used is my beloved Lunasol Chocolate Cosmos by Kanebo. Lunasol is well known for neutral eyeshadow palettes, and this one has been one of their top sellers for years! It can look bland or dupable, but the beauty of this palette is that all of the shades are so wearable and flattering and are designed to enhance the natural beauty of your eyes and complement the rest of your makeup.

Shades description (clockwise from top left)

a soft shimmery cool sandy brown

a soft shimmery peachy brown

rich chocolate brown with silver glitters

a pearly beige white with an iridescence – the texture of this shadow is different to the rest – it has a spongy creamy texture that can be used as a base as well as being excellent for highlighting the inner corner of the eyes.

I love how the iridescence of the pearly white shade shows up in this picture.

Swatches: All of these shadows are smooth and are easy to blend.

Love the finish of these shadows – they are neither too matte which can look too flat nor too shimmery. They give a satin shimmery effect with a subtle sparkle that bring my morning lifeless eyes back to life.

Some pictures of my FOTD this morning. Just a very soft and fresh makeup look I normally wear to work everyday.

{ 21 comments }

Labels: EYESHADOW • FOTD • KANEBO • LUNASOL

Bobbi Brown Bronze Tortoise Shell Eye Palette Swatch and FOTD

July 17, 2011

Being a neutral shades lover I always pay attention to Bobbi Brown’s new releases. Their latest Tortoise Shell Collection has really captured my heart. It is a collection consisting of only neutral shades that would look flattering on any skin tone. There are two limited edition eyeshadow palettes – the SAND and the BRONZE from the collection. I opted for the Bronze Tortoise Shell Eye Palette after I swatched both at the counter as I prefer the color payoff and the texture more than the other.

This palette comes in a tortoise shell case and has a unique two tier compact design. Perfect size to carry it around in the purse or travelling.

This Bronze palette contains 8 warm neutral shades in 3 different finishes, with 5 of them being the new shades:

Top Tier

Banana – matte

Gold Nugget – New, sparkles eyeshadow

Olive – New, sparkles eyeshadow

Bronze: – New, metallic eyeshadow

Bottom Tier

Tiger’s Eye: New, metallic eyeshadow

Espresso: Matte

Copper Cocoa: shimmer wash

Amber: New, shimmer wash

According to Bobbi Brown’s website, the Bronze Tortoise Shell Eye Palette is designed for medium to darker skintones. Although I am nowhere near that I find all of these shade are easy to work with and look flattering against my skintone after playing with it for a few different looks.

There are millions of looks you can create with this versatile palette. I went for a simple look today wearing the new shades.

EOTD

Olive as a wash over the eye socket. Then applied Tiger’s Eye at the outer corner and defined the outer v with Copper Cocoa.

Along the lower lashline, I had Tiger’s Eye applied then layered with Gold Nugget at the tear duct area and Copper Cocoa towards the outer corner.

Overall Look:

Bottom Line: I really like it. These shades don’t pull too warm on me and it is a palette that I can use all year round. Having all of these wearable shades in an elegantly designed compact is a bonus for women (like me) who like to travel light.

FYI the eye palette retails for $130 in Australia.

{ 18 comments }

Labels: BOBBI BROWN • EYESHADOW • FOTD

Kanebo Lunasol 04 Smoky Ocean Scene Eyes Swatch and FOTD

July 5, 2011

If you are familiar with Asian cosmetics, you will know Kanebo Lunasol eyeshadow palettes are highly raved in Asia. Some of their signature neutral palettes as well as their seasonal limited edition palettes are always sold out. I too am a big fan of Lunasol in general and I have collected quite a few palettes from them. Today’s review is for the beautiful 04 Smoky Ocean eyeshadow palette from Lunasol’s Ocean Scene Eyes Line which is their newest range.

The Ocean Scene Eyes Line adopts a new Soft Powder Formula Technology which delivers a moist and smooth texture. It carries 5 permanent palettes – I chose 04 Smoky Ocean because it seems to be the most cool toned palette out of them all. All eyeshadows in the palette are shimmery as this line is designed to create a translucent and wet looking finish.

Each eyeshadow is very finely milled with lots of fine silver shimmers. They do stand up to their claims – the shadows are cushiony soft and silky smooth. When I ran my fingers over each shadow I couldn’t feel any trace of graininess from the shimmer.

Shades description from left to right for the below swatch:

white silvery shade with a hint of beige (lower left in the palette)

a light grey with a hint of taupe (upper left in the palette)

a pale blue with silver undertone (upper right in the palette)

this is such a unique color, a bluish charcoal with a hint of moss. (lower right in the palette)

These are swatched heavily using the sponge applicator. When applied on the eyes using a brush, these shades appear more sparkly and translucent for a wet look finish which is the way I prefer.

How I wore them on my eyes for a subtle smokey eye look:

I only used 3 shades – the light grey all over the eyelid with the bluish charcoal applied along my upper lash and the outer v. The pale blue is applied along my lower lash.

Bottom Line: The texture and the translucent finish of these eyeshadow are to die for. I am most impressed with its long wearability as they stay put for 8 hours. As for the palette, I won’t say it is a must have as it is more for summer only and is limited to smokey eye use.

Other products used:

Cheeks: Nars Multiple Tint in Turks and Caicos

Lips: Shu Uemura Lip duo tint and gloss in Love Apricot from the Takano Collection

Falsies by Kiss Me in style 02: I have to give special credit to these lashes. They are incredibly beautiful and they make such a huge difference to the eyes.

Overall Look:

Lunasol is not sold in Australia. They cost around $60 AUD if they are purchased over the Kanebo counters in Asia. Price varies online.

The Ocean Scene Eyes Range has recently released two LE palettes for their summer 2011 collection. Check out the gorgeous Elaine and PrettySeaEagle for their beautiful swatches!

{ 19 comments }

Labels: EYESHADOW • FALSE LASHES • FOTD • KANEBO • KissMe • LUNASOL • NARS • Shu Uemura

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