Review: Dior 5-Colour Designer All-in-One Artistry Palette in Green Design

Hello everyone!


I got the Dior 5-Colour Designer All-in-One Artistry Palette in Green Design a while back, but never had the opportunity to use it.  Since the mint color seems to be all the rage this summer, I thought this would be a good opportunity to put this palette to use! 

The palette includes four eyeshadow colors: forest green, sheer glittering mint, sea foam green, shimmering ivory, and an eyeliner in matte dark green cream color.  


The texture of the eyeshadows are soft, but not too soft enough to be too powdery.  However, the pigmentation is severely lacking in these shadows.  I wanted to use the ivory and mint color, but found that they appeared too alike on the eye.  The dark green cream color was hard and was difficult to apply as an eyeliner without dragging it along my eyelid.  Overall, I am disappointed in this palette and the quality does not justify its price.  

Review: Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in Twilight Night

Bobbi Brown’s Desert Twilight Collection for Fall 2012 has recently released in stores across the US.  While the promo pictures caught my eye, I realized that I didn’t love anything enough to justify the purchase… except for one! A little background information on me: My very first piece of makeup (high-end or drugstore) was a Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner.  One of my high school friends gifted me with a Black Ink gel eyeliner and I have been a loyal fan of it and gel/crème eyeliners ever since.  Fast forward to the present – I walked away with the Twilight Night gel eyeliner ($22.00 for 0.1 oz/3 g) because not only is it limited edition, but I just couldn’t resist the beautiful color.

Twilight Night is a dark shimmering greyish purple with sparkles.  Compared to the other eyeliners that I own, Twilight Night appears to be the most sparkly.  My fear was that the sparkles would irritate my eyes (since I wear contacts) or produce some type of fallout, but I am glad to report that I experienced neither of these problems. 

Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in Twilight Night

From L to R: BB Ivy Shimmer Ink, BB Twilight Night, BB Chocolate Shimmer Ink

I have only experimented with this product for three days, but I am already considering buying another one as a backup! The formula is consistent with the other colors from her permanent line.  The color glides on the eyelid without any tug or pull, and it is pigmented enough that I do not have to build up to the intensity that I need.  The only negative thing that I can say about the formula in general is that if you are not careful about closing the lid, the product becomes dry and flaky very quickly.  Otherwise, the Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner continues to be my holy grail eyeliner formula.  Check these out the next time you walk past a Bobbi Brown counter! You won’t regret it! 

Review: Giorgio Armani 'Eyes to Kill Acqua' Waterproof Eyeliner

Hello! 

In Spring 2011, Giorgio Armani released three limited edition Long Wear Waterproof Eye Pencils and they sold out in a blink of an eye! I was glad that I was able to snap two of them up before they were gone at my local Nordstrom's. I was even more excited when they came out with two new colors for Spring 2012 in Antique and Copper.  These waterproof eye pencils quickly became my holy grail pencil eyeliners because they were the only ones that were able to stay on my waterline for 4+ hours without any significant fading.  When there was fading, it simply disappeared and did not smudge underneath my eye.  

Now imagine my surprise and delight when I found out they came out with a new "Eyes to Kill Acqua" Waterproof Eye Pencil during a mini Summer 2012 release! My saleslady at the Armani counter told me that these are limited edition.  I picked up one in black and immediately gave it a test drive.  

Left: Spring 2011 Long Wear Waterproof Eye Pencil

Right: "Eyes to Kill Acqua" Waterproof Eye Pencil

(Apologies for the different swatch sizes!)

While the black color is very similar between the Spring 2011 Long Wear Waterproof Eye Pencil and the ETK Waterproof Eye Pencil, I found that they do not wear the same on my eye.  The ETK Waterproof Eye Pencil is remarkable on the upper lash line, with very minimal fading, even after 6 hours.  However, the same could not be said for my lower lash line and waterline.  I found that after about 3 hours, I had raccoon eyes.  There was significant smudging under my eye.  

I have only been testing this for three days now, but found that if I place primer under my eye and set with an eyeshadow, it lasts much better on my lower lash line.  I could be wrong and this could be same formula as the Spring 2011 Waterproof Eye Pencil, but I personally don't think that the wear is quite the same.  However, these are still very good eye pencils to be worn on the upper lash line and I will still continue to use them for that -- especially when I'm feeling in a rush or just lazy.  :) 

Review: YSL Eyeliner Effet Faux Cils in Deep Black

Hello! 


As previously mentioned, I am a BIG fan of gel eyeliners and here today is Yves Saint Laurent's Long Wear Cream Eyeliner in Deep Black ($25.00)! My holy grail gel eyeliner is Bobbi Brown; however, this definitely gives it a run for its money! 

Deep Black (01) is the deepest black I've seen, perhaps even just slightly darker than Bobbi Brown's Black Ink.  The formula is much different than Bobbi Brown's.  It is more difficult to work with and does not glide as easily on my upper lash line.  It's not necessarily dry, but it is definitely much thicker/dense than the Bobbi Brown.  

BUT... the thing that makes me love this eyeliner is that it really is very long wearing and the best part is that it stays on my waterline! I like to gently place it on my waterline using my Bobbi Brown eyeliner brush and it will stay for a good 6 hours before I see some smudging below the eye.  Be careful, though, because it can feel a little dry when first applied. 


I have now found the perfect gel eyeliner combination for my eyes: Bobbi Brown on top and YSL on my waterline.  I suggest you give it a try and tell me what you think! :) 

Review: NYX Liquid Crystal Liner in Crystal Pink

Hi everyone!
I picked up the NYX Liquid Crystal Liner in Crystal Pink as a last minute addition to my basket at IMATS last weekend.  The only reason I decided to pick it up was because I saw an attendee apply some to her eye and I knew that I had to have it -- especially since it was only $4.00! It's not a very practical color, but I thought it would be a fun color to wear, especially during the summer! 

Crystal Pink is a glittery pinkish purple with a sheer pink color base.  Having worn this for the past week, I have found that I need to layer it at least two times to properly show off the glitter.  It can apply a bit sheerly and patchy with just one coat, so be sure to apply a second (or even third) to make sure that the color pops! I also tried wearing on top of a black gel eyeliner and an eggplant purple pencil eyeliner, and found that it helps to enhance the color. 

For the price, it is a nice addition to my collection and will be fun to wear during the summer months.  :)