Maybelline Total Temptation Shadow + Highlight Palette and Mascara

Maybelline just released their Total Temptation Shadow + Highlight palette along with Total Temptation Mascara this weekend. Retailing at a reasonable S$26.90 for the palette and $21.90 for both waterproof and regular mascaras, I wanted to try them out on camera to see if these were as value-for-money as they seemed.

The palette contains a warm half with 4 shadows and a highlighter, and a cooler half with the same. No reason you can't mix and match, but I just wanted to see how they'd look separately.

VERDICT:

I'll just say I like the palette, and I love the mascara (non-waterproof formula).
The palette's formula is velvety and amazing - very good quality and the colors are gorgeous.

Silver Lilac Lids

Here's a quick and easy but high-impact look that I've been wearing often lately. I've owned a whole set of Australis Metallix shadows for awhile and haven't talked about them much because they're a little perplexing. 

They are made of the most beautiful sparkly flecks of metallic pigments. But the pigments are suspended in a very old-fashioned creamy base that creases and doesn't set, unlike the budge-proof cream shadows we're used to today.

However, these are great for layering - and I prefer them on top of shadows mostly - as a pop of metallic sheen in the center of the lids. But for some of the deeper shades, I just use them as a base for sparkly loose pigments, like Sparklers from Make Up Geek.

One of my favorite combinations these days is a silvery violet duo; Lana Del Grey from Australis and Aurora from Make Up Geek.

One bad thing about using the Metallix shadows as base is the flecks of pigments are quite large so you often get a slightly patchier coverage and gaps if you try to blend for too long. It's a product suited for dramatic sparkle and making a statement from a certain distance.

Other products used for this look:

• Taupe transition shadow: Innisfree Mineral Single Shadow 40
• Black matte shadow: Bourjois Intense Extrait de Fard 10
• Black liquid liner: KATE Super Sharp Liner in Black
• Metallic indigo pencil: Urban Decay 24/7 Pencil in Tornado
• Black mascara: Benefit Rollerlash Mascara

P.S. Run a little along the outer 1/3 of the lower lashes as well if you want more definition

Finish with mascara

The eye makeup looks both soft and dramatic at the same time. It mostly looks like a light silver or lavender eye depending on the light, but then when you blink and the light catches on the pigments, it looks like molten metal.

I've worn it to work a few times, and it does get attention, but I don't consider it overly dramatic compared to a full-on smoky eye or glitter.

Lavender-Chocolate: Soft luminous purple andbrown eyeshadow look that goes with pretty much any Lip color

This is a color combination that is not a typical beige-toned neutral, but still goes with pretty much any lip color you want to wear. It's also soft enough that you can use a light hand (skip step 3) and just wear it in the day for work or school.

I used just 2 shadows:

• A pale lavender (Coastal Scents Hot Pot in Ice Ballet)
• A deep rich brown (Coastal Scents Hot Pot in Rich Walnut)

Other than this, I had a chocolate brown pencil and black mascara.

Romantic Contoured Lavender

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Lavender is a universally-flattering color for most eye and skin colors, and I always consider it one of those shades that functions like a neutral because it goes with everything and everyone. A contoured, pearlescent lavender eye like this one can look sultry and dreamy at the same time (as seen on Jessica Rabbit), AND you can change the entire look just by switching out your lip color.

Some tips:

• What you want to be careful of, if you have uneven skin tone or a lot of red/pink in your skin, is to pick purples that lean more silver or blue. 
• If you have mature lids, go with slightly less metallic/shimmery shadows than I used because a high-sheen can emphasize lines.
• If you have very dark skin, pick a purple that is richer and stronger as a soft pastel can look chalky
• If you are layering it over a grey/silver base like I did here (See below), remember that you need to go with a slightly more pink-toned shade than you want because the blue undertones in the grey base will make a purple look blue. 

I used the 88 Shimmer palette, but you can find soft pinks and purples EVERYWHERE so don't feel you need to purchase a brand new palette for this.

Step 1: Apply your base all over the lid up to the socket line, but don't wing it out at the outer corners. You want to keep the eye shape quite round and doe-like for this.

Then use a small brush to run the grey cream shadow along the outer half of the lower lash line as well. (I used Maybelline Color Tattoo in Audacious Asphalt.)

Step 2: From the 88 Shimmer palette, I picked a lavender and cool pink in the 2 center columns and mixed them together on a brush.

Then I applied this mixture onto the outer half of the lids, below. As you can see the mixture goes on a straight lavender because the grey cancels out the pink/red tones. If I'd used just the purple, my shadow would look almost blue.

 

Step 3: Next I picked a warm-toned paler pink and applied that onto the inner half of the lids, blending into the pink-purple from earlier. Bring this down the inner corners to the lower lid as well. This creates a brightness at the inner corners of your eye, and is great if you have close-set eyes.

Step 4: To finish the shadow, just apply a little charcoal or black shadow right to the outer corners. I did not bother to sweep it upwards along the socket line but if you have hooded or mono-lids and want to emphasize your socket a bit more, you can do that.

Step 5: For extra definition at the lash line, I applied a thin line of black pencil to the outer half of the lids and then used the same shadow brush from earlier to soften and blend it out.

Then I finished with black mascara.

Step 6: Because I'm going with a cooler toned lip for this look, I chose a raspberry pink blush. Try something like Nyx Pinky which looks like a super-bright fuchsia, but goes on quite pretty. If you want you can apply just a little matte bronzer around the edges of your face and temples, jawline to add some dimension back to your face.

Step 7: For the lips, you have the option of using a soft pastel blue-based pink like Revlon's Strawberry Shortcake Lip Butter, OR you can apply a deep dark liver-red (MAC Diva). The dark lip instantly turns the look into a rather "Noir" one, and I didn't touch the eyeshadow or the blush at all.

Smoked Silver-Violet with Peach-tinted Cheeks and Lips

This is a look that composed of a tri-color eye, combining soft purple, grey, and navy, and the color combination is not only flattering for most skin tones, but also wicked on brown eyes.
In contrast, the cheeks and lips are a warm coral-peach in tone.
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Step 1: Apply the soft purple to the inner 2/3 of the lids.

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Step 2: Apply a soft grey to the outer half of the lids, blending into the purple.

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Step 3: With a dark navy, darken the outer corners and up along the socket line slightly. Then trace along the lower lash lines as well.
Finish with navy blue liner along the water lines.

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Step 4: Curl lashes, apply fake lashes, and then mascara on the lower lashes. I used longer lashes than usual today, just to emphasize the smokiness of the look without too much heavy color.

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And the finished eye:

For the rest of the face, I used:

• NYX Cinnamon blush (bright matte coral)
• Heavy Rotation Nude Lipstick #03 (try MAC Myth or any other pale orange-based nude)
• Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss in Coral Reef in just the center of the lips. Press lips together to spread and even out the color a little.