MAKE UP FOR EVER Spring 2016 9 Artist Shadow Palette #3

I’m a big fan of the MAKE UP FOR EVER shadows because they have this very intense, creamy feel although I don’t always recommend them for newbies because the pricing of single shadows leans on the high side. So when they came out with the first neutral 9 Artist Shadow Palette for just SGD$69 it was a bit of a dream come true.

For 2016, they are releasing a limited edition Spring palette filled with fresh soda-pop colors. If you love colors in general, and want a mix of soft and strong ones, this is a more wearable alternative than Palette No 2 (limited edition in 2015), which leans towards strong, acidic tones.

This is a fun purchase to add to your collection if you already own some neutrals. There are lots of dusty pastels you can use for soft, sweet looks, and also some options for intense, bright peacock colors.

I especially love the gorgeous coral shade in the center, which has an iridescent gold glow. And the column of purples on the right make a beautiful trio.

This probably isn’t an item I recommend as a “first palette” purchase because you probably need a few neutral/matte shadows (brown, black, grey, etc) to use as transition and definer shades in the socket and along the lash line. That’s optional of course - if you like colors in the socket and along the lash line just go for it.

The most obvious way to wear the shades is to group them in columns top-down, and they look beautiful that way, but don't feel restricted to this. In fact, I would even suggest seeing this as a palette filled with single shadows - not necessarily that you need to create an entire look from within the palette. You also get 9 x 1.5g shades (each a full-size MAC shadow) for SGD$69 - which is incredible value considering you usually can't even get 2 full-size MUFE shadows for the price.

I did 3 different eye looks below using shades in the palette, and it's just a reference for how you can pick/pair colors, and also supplement your look with a matte color in the socket or dark pencil smudged along the lashes as a base to add dimension and definition.

The Mermaid

I wanted to soften the peacock colors so instead of using the yellow, I went with the beige gold instead, and added a separate matte brown in the socket line to blend out the color.

Sunset

The diagonal trio from right-down is beautiful. In fact, ME-930 is a shade I own as a single shadow as it's an incredibly rich and pigmented prune purple. Most people don't realize deep purples can be paired with both cool AND warm looks. This look pairs it with a warm peachy-coral and buttercup yellow.

I did also blend out the socket with a matte brown to keep the look soft. You can use ME-930 in the socket but that makes the look much heavier and more dramatic.

Twilight

The last look uses the remaining soft tones, but you can easily add some smoky definition using simple black liner. Just draw along your lash line and smudge it out with a finger BEFORE you apply shadow. (Make sure to leave a slight gap of black liner right above the lashes so you don't cover it completely.) This creates a hazy ombre effect that gives you definition at the lash line, but doesn't look like harsh black liner. 

The lilac is the main shade on the lid, with the soft brown in the socket. As for the pale pearl/white, that goes right on the center of the lid to make your eye contour pop and to help give the lilac a brighter look.