Midnight Periwinkle: Metallic Sparkly Eye Look (feat Moonshot Jelly Pot P04)

Korean brand Moonshot has reached Singapore, and one of the star products I highly recommend are their Jelly Pots, metallic gel-cream shadows which set and lock on. 

They're not that different from liquid shadows that you get in squeeze tubes or gloss tubes, but they can be slightly messy because the gels will move round in the pots, so tap the bottom a few times before opening. The range comes in P (pearls) and M (matte) formulas. Also, they can be used as bases, but they're better as shadows in their own. Once they set, they don't grab powders all that well.

Which is fine if you want a more diffused and soft effect, not so good if you expect your bases to intensify your powder shadows.

For this look, I wanted a smoky but still luminous effect, so I paired Jelly Pot P04 (a medium metallic lavender) with Shu Uemura's Beauty Remix Smokey Eye & Cheek Palette in Indigo.

The final effect should be smoky and defined but still soft, with an emphasis on a blend of cloudy colors and sparkly texture.

 Getting the Look:

Tip: to get maximum shine and payoff with the Jelly Pots I recommend letting a thin layer set, then applying a second layer on top.

As for the lips, I used MAC Spice lip pencil and YSL Rouge Volupté Shine No 8.


Final note on the Jelly Pots:

The Jelly Pots last very well once set, and the sheen is beautiful with the P formula, so I totally don't recommend buying these to use as a base for powders. Use them as a shadow shade in their own right and just pair other powders and creams with them to bring out their color and texture.

There cost around SGD$34 at Sephora; not the cheapest compared to what you'd get buying it in Korea, but worth checking out nonetheless.

Urban Decay Sheer Revolution Lipstick Swatches

Urban Decay Sheer Revolution Lipsticks are now available in Sephora Singapore (SGD$33). I have 7 out of the 10 shades here to swatch for you, and you should be able to get a feel for the texture and pigmentation from the images below. 

I'm a fan of the regular lipstick line, which is smooth and ultra-pigmented. But my lips have been a bit sore and chapped since a bad cold the past couple of weeks, so they haven't done too well with lipsticks. Hydrating glosses and sheer, glossy lipsticks are the way to go for me right now, so these came at a perfect time. 

Urban Decay Sheer Revolution Lipsticks: F-bomb, Slowburn, Streak, Rapture, Anarchy, Obsessed and Walk of Shame

The Sheer Revolution lipsticks come in gorgeous metallic purple cases, and what I like best about them is that while they are glossy and translucent, the textures aren't runny and super soft like many sheer lipsticks. They're a little like Tom Ford Lip Color Shines. 

The color range is pretty good, and ranges from an ultra-pale beige to cool-toned pinks and magentas, to coral-hues and reds. 

I usually expect most sheer lipsticks to look patchy and uneven on the lips, but I'll say upfront that all these did really well. They went on smoothly and didn't catch in lines or flaky bits. Just pressing my lips together evened out the color quickly, and the texture is not so light that the color wears away quickly.

Urban Decay Sheer Walk of Shame

Urban Decay Sheer Obsessed

Urban Decay Sheer Anarchy

Urban Decay Sheer Rapture

Urban Decay Sheer Streak

Urban Decay Sheer Slowburn

Urban Decay Sheer F-Bomb

It's really hard to pick a favorite shade here because so many of them are so pretty, but if I had to pick three out of these, it would be F-bomb (Cherry red), Streak (warm pink) and Anarchy (magenta).

These are too sheer to wear with matching liners. If you need a pencil, wear either a translucent one or a nude shade, so you don't end up changing the color and sheer finish too much.

MAC Cinderella Makeup Look: A Sultry Twist

The MAC Cinderella collection looks all princess-y and soft; but if you take a closer look at the color tones and textyres, the combination is actually rather sultry and Bardot-esque. 

So - as usual - I'm going to be all contrary, and do a sexy glistening smoky eye with the collection (whereas I did a rather subtle look with the Toledo collection). 

MAC Cinderella collection look, featuring Stroke of Midnight eye palette, Lightly Tauped Studio Eye Gloss, and Coupe d'Chic Iridescent Powder

The eyes are amazingly simple. I used only 2 eyeshadows and an eyeliner. The eye gloss is an optional step which you do not need to take.

1. I applied  thin layer of Vapour shadow (top left) all over from lashes to brows as a base
2. Then I buffed Satin Taupe (bottom left) over the lid area, blending out into the socket line for a smoky effect. I also used a small detail brush from 13rushes to sweep Satin Taupe along the lower lash line.
3. I smudged black liner along the upper and lower lash lines, then along the inner rims for a catty, defined look. No wing or flick was applied.
4. Finish with mascara,

If you want a bit of special effects, then dab some sparkly eye gloss over the lid using a flat concealer brush.

MAC Studio Eye Gloss in Lightly Tauped

For the cheeks, 

1. I actually used a soft tangerine-red cream blush (NARS Portofino) very high on the cheeks using my fingers. This was blended almost up to the eye, for a more naturally flushed dewy sheen.
2. Then I swept the very gorgeous MAC Cinderella Iridescent Powder in Coupe d'Chic along the cheekbones to catch the light. This gives a soft warm gold sparkle. 
3. As a last step, I used NARS Laguna bronzer with a firm shader brush (13rushes Ultimate Shader) along the hollow of the cheekbones to sculpt the cheeks. 

MAC Iridescent Powder in Coupe d'Chic

NARS Laguna bronzer and 13rushes Ultimate Shader brush

 Finally, on the lips, I only slicked on a light layer of Royal Ball Lustre Lipstick from the Cinderella collection. I do have to say this is perhaps the one item in the collection I've tried so far that I don't really like that much.

 The texture is a little dry for a lustre, which can make the sheer pearlescent color look a bit patchy on the lips. If you have chapped lips or any flakes, stay away from this lipstick. Otherwise, it IS quite a pretty color for muting down your lips and getting a soft pearlescent nude look to pair with smoky eyes.

And here's the finished look! Sultry smoky eyes (gloss optional), sparkly glowy skin, and muted pearly lips. 

Not quite Cinderella I would say.
And I would imagine most princesses would have flushed just-bitten lips rather than a nude mouth anyway, so the collection is more Brigitte Bardot than Cinderella to me!

MAC Toledo Makeup Look: Moodyblu Palette and Oxblood Matte Lipstick (plus Toledo swatches part 2!)

MAC x Toledo is one of the most colorful collections of the season, with lots of intense blues, violets, lime greens, violets and rich deep reds. So it was a bit of a challenge for me when I decided I wanted to create a softer, more wearable everyday look with some of the items in the collection.

It's quite wearable and neutral for the most part, but I chose to keep a pop of very intense blue around the outer corners of the eyes for a bit of interest, and to define and draw attention to them. (There wouldn't be a point in doing a look with the Toledo collection if it was going to look like any other neutral collection!)

The star of the show here is really the sparkly metallic blue eye pencil, Petrol Blue. I highly recommend you check it out if you like colored eyeliners and want buttery smooth texture and intense payoff. The lasting power is pretty darned good as well, but of course, I had to intensify it and lock it down by dabbing a matching blue shadow (Deep Truth) over it. 

 And Oxblood matte lipstick? It's a fab, FAB kittenish peachy-beige. Not quite nude, but very pretty if you want something muted with a bit of color.

The surprise of the look for me was Azalea Blossom, the pink-purple blush ombre. I'd expected a very cool-toned shade but over my skin, the blend of pink and purple went on quite a bit warmer. If you're looking for a sweet pink flush, this is great. If you were expecting a very purple hue, you might not get it if you have a yellow undertone, or you're wearing a bronzer beneath.

MAC Azalea Blossom goes on surprisingly neutral on top of bronzer

Speaking of blush, I do owe you all the swatches for Ripe Peach Blush Ombre from the Toledo Collection, which was missing from the first delivery. Here it is.

I was also missing Victoriana matte lipstick in the swatches, so here it is swatched beside 2 other true reds. Tenor Voice is the true red in the Toledo collection, and Victoriana is a cherry red with slight pink undertones. 

Here, the 2 shades are swatched beside Carmine Red from the MAC Prabal Gurung collection, which is another vivid red. On first look they all look identical, but the difference is in how they sit against the skin. 

Tenor Voice casts neither a blue nor an orange border against the skin, while Carmine leaves a blue border. Victoriana has a rosy hue. This is how you check undertones of reds. And when picking one, look not at the color itself but how it makes the surrounding skin look. The best red for you, is one which brightens your skin and makes it look more glowing and even. 

NARS Spring 2015 Colors - Some Swatches!

NARS St Paul de Vence duo

 When someone saw a picture of St Paul de Vence I posted on Instagram, she missed the details in the caption and asked if it was Orgasm and Laguna.

This is actually from the limited edition Spring 2015 makeup collection, and it does have some similarities to the blush and bronzer duo because of the tawny coral-tan tones. But it's a lot softer and more wearable on the eyes of course.

I personally think it's a very nice warm duo, and while I wouldn't necessarily wear both shades together (one is iridescent and the other is satin, but the colors are close enough that on the eyes, the difference is not obvious), they're great for pairing with darker neutrals.

Just for the same of a demo, I wore both on the lids of course. The satin brown on the outer halves of the lids and in the socket line, and the iridescent coral-tan shade on the inner halves of lids.

NARS St Paul de Vence eyeshadow duo worn on lids

 For a soft warm everyday look, you can get away with wearing both shades together. I also imagine this will bring out the color in grey, blue, and green eyes.

The collection also features a lipstick and 2 glosses (of which I have 1 to show you here).

NARS Liguria lipstick and Vent Salé gloss swatches

Now these 2 I don't especially love, because they're not too easy to pull off. 

Liguria lipstick - If you have extremely pale or tanned/darker skin and want a nice caramel beige color, Liguria is actually quite pretty and creamy-feeling. It's a caramel with a soft gold pearl. On my medium-light yellow-based skin, it just kinda fades in. 

NARS Liguria lipstick

Vent Salé lipgloss on the other hand, is tricky. This is a thick pearlescent white gloss that reflects pale mint-green in the light. On its own it does sink into every line on your lip surface. And over other colors, you kinda have to consider what would work well with a green sheen. 

I like an interesting color any day but it does have to be flattering, and while I can see this as a dramatic lip-color transformer, I really can't see this looking that fantastic on most people.

NARS Vent Salé lipgloss

The item that will probably get lots of people excited is the new Illuminating Multiple, St Lucia, which is the first new color they've brought out in awhile.

Unlike the previous iridescent Multiples, St Lucia has a much finer glow and a texture that sets to a dry finish. Many of the older Multiples are obviously shimmery/glittery on the skin, and also have a greasier cream-blush formula which isn't always great for oily skins.

The best thing though - is the color. Most of the NARS Multiples are very warm and yellow-based, which on yellow-toned skins can look a bit too much. St Lucia is a tawny pink-bronze which sits nicely on most undertones.

NARS Multiple in St Lucia, swatched

It's not as pale as Copacabana, so it can't really act as a highlighter for lighter skins, and it's not deep enough to be a bronzer or blush, but it's really pretty all along the upper portions of the cheeks and cheekbones as a subtle blush/bronze sheen if you're wearing bronzer.

On deeper skins, it's a gorgeous highlighter.