Cle de Peau Quad 302 - Review & Swatches

You know when good friends bring you something like this all the way from Asia, that said friends really get you (at least in terms of my makeup interests...). cle de peau is one of those luxe brands that I've not gone near myself for fear I'd love it and my wallet would in turn hate it.

This quad is actually almost a year old now, but it's taken me this long to review because I have only been using it on special occasions. 

As with any other luxe brands, it comes with a soft velvety pouch to protect the compact. 

The compact itself is simple and minimalistic, with the tiny logo in the corner (I like this kind of style, no need for a big loud logo for me). 

The cover is raised and looks like a big jewel (in an elegant way, not at all gawdy).

cle de peau sells the actual eyeshadow apart from the compact. To save money, you could just buy the shadow and use it out of the plastic packaging (oh but that would defeat the purpose of such a product as this...and of all these photos of the compact I just showed you!). The compact also comes with the standard sponge-tip and mini-brush applicators. I typically use my own brushes so can't comment on how useful these are (I imagine I might use them if I took this palette travelling, as I hate to travel with full size brushes).

Ok now onto the actual shadows...

They pop easily into the compact, and also pop out easily enough if you want to change up the palette or if you run out and want to replace (has anyone actually used up a whole eye shadow palette? I've never...)

with bounced flash

 Here are the shadows swatched in the same order as the palette. These shades are of sheer-moderate pigmentation (it took a few swipes to build up to this intensity in the swatches). They're of satin-shimmery nature, and how shimmery they look depend on the lighting. The shimmer is very fine though and there is nearly zero-fallout.

in sunlight

These blend like a dream on the eyes, with simple brush strokes they nearly blend themselves. Oh and there is no creasing without a primer! My lids aren't as oily as they used to be though so this may not be the case for you. Below is a look I used on one occasion:

I'm liking things more sheer and subtle these days, so I went from light to 

dark starting from my inner corner and blended everything out.Although these shadows can build up, I prefer them sheer.

Combo-ed with a pair of half-falsies and thin eyeliner, it came out to a very natural and brightening eye-look. 

 This is by far now my favorite eyeshadow palette now for a natural look that isn't flat and really helps to make my eyes pop without a huge pop of color. 

If you prefer very pigmented shadows though, you may not like this as the amount of building up needed may annoy you, but if you like sheer washes of color that blend like a dream, with a luxe package to boot, you should give this a try! Just be aware this isn't wallet friendly...

What do you think of cle de peau? Any other products from them I should try? (other than their infamous concealer...)

Givenchy Ombre Couture Cream Eyeshadow 1 - Blanc Satin Top Coat

This is my first Givenchy cosmetic purchase (I only knew of this brand to make that perfume my mother loved previously), and I am impressed!

I was browsing during the recent Sephora sale and swatched this beauty in store, and the way it lit up made me put it in my basket instantly.

 

These cream eyeshadows are sheer and smooth, and blend beautifully with other products. This particular shade is a "top coat", meant to add shimmer/fine on top of other eye products. 

Here's a bare eye swatch, with just one finger swipe of this onto the middle of my eyelid. 

As you can see, it gives a barely there but light-catching glittery-princessy brightness. The glitter is very fine and you cannot feel it at all. It can also be built up more with a brush. The only downside is the glitter is difficult to wash out of the brush. The upside of that is this thing lasts all day, no touchups needed.

I have used this on its own a lot recently, with light eyeliner and a bit of mascara; makes me feel girly and pretty. It doesn't emphasize my fine lines like some shimmery shadows can.

Do you use eye shadow "top coats"?

Tarte Waterproof Cream Shadow Stick in Shimmering Sand with Tarte emphasEYES Clay Shadow Stick in Taupe - Review and Swatches

Back when Sephora had a sale, I picked up these two cream eyeshadow sticks from Tarte. I had always been a powder eyeshadow, but the price was so good on these I had to give them a try.

I somehow was expecting them to come in a box, but instead they arrived in plastic bags, which wasn't as nice. I suppose in then end the box is useless anyways...

These two shades looked like they'd go well together, with the lighter shade as an overall lid shade and the darker in the crease. Or the darker closer to the lashes with the lighter just in the corner for a mildly smokier look. I was right, they ended up going heavenly together! The formula is super soft and creamy, and blends together very well.

These are heavier swatches below, and as you can see they can go on darn pigmented, or can be lightly applied for a sheer wash.

Left: Shimmering Sand; Right: Taupe

Swatch #1: Shimmering sand over the lid, with Taupe lightly placed in the crease and lower lashes; blended out with ring finger.

(doesn't this look so natural?! Just the right amount of shimmer, not too much for day time. The two shades blended effortlessly together)

Swatch #2: Taupe over the mobile lid, with Shimmering Sand on the inner corner, blended out with ring finger.

(darker and more eye defining look, again blends sooo nicely together)

Here's swatch #2 with light liquid eyeliner. No mascara in this photo but obviously I'd suggest you wear this with mascara if heading out and doing more than taking swatch photos at home :)

Here's a heavier cat liner with swatch #1. I realized I actually would prefer the heavier liner with swatch #2. Falsies would go nicely...

In the end my favorite was swatch #1 with softly smudged brown pencil liner and light coat of black mascara.

I been using this look a lot for those days I want to be bit fancier but not really look like I'm wearing makeup. Definitely a go-to these days when school/work has been incredibly busy.

To conclude, these shadow sticks have completely converted me over from powder! They're so soft and easy to use, and blend out in mere seconds with a ring finger.  This is now my travelling eyeshadow combo of choice as brushes are no longer necessary (brushes are annoying for me on the road, I keep what I bring to a minimum).

Are you a powder or cream eyeshadow person? Why one vs the other? Have you tried these beauties from Tarte? Let me know your thoughts!

Illamasaqua Paranormal Palette Review & Swatches

The last of the Bay's sale! I bought this at 25% off but shortly after it became 50% off :( I always feel annoyed when this happens, but the annoyed feeling only makes me buy more stuff at the new sale to make it up for it...=P

Overall I got quite a few things from this interesting European brand that I never thought to check out before until the sale hit (and as most of you know the sale meant the last of Illamasqua here in Canada, though you can still of course order it online). More reviews of their other products to come!

 

Now onto this bizarre-o palette...I picked it because of all the gorgeously bright colors, which didn't seem like they went with each other at all in a palette sense, but who cares, look at them!

 

Here are ONE-swipe swatches, look at that pigmentation! They went on buttery-smooth. These shadows are advertised to feel like a cream-to-powder formula and indeed they do! They blend well and also have a hint of fine shimmer that is subtle and just beautiful.

 

They're also advertised to be long-lasting and water-resistant. The above is what they look like after washing/scrubbing with soap and water. Still stained!

Overall, I love each shade individually, especially paired with a grey eyeshadow in the crease for definition. Unfortunately I don't see myself ever using these shades together (maybe for Halloween or something...), so I've depotted them as it seemed no point in keeping them together. They were crazy easy to depot, I stuck the tip of my metal spatula beside the pans and they popped right out! Depotter's dream (or not, if you like the destructive process more...).

Warning though, I think due to the formula, these shadow don't pick up too well using fluffy eyeshadow brushes. I tried this using my usual brushes and it only shows up as a faint faint sheer wash. These shadows go on much better with finger tips or sponge-applicators, then you can use your usual eyeshadow brushes to blend out. 

There are still quite a few Illamasqua items on The Bay's website for 50% off, I highly recommend trying one of these palettes while they're still available!

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad - Cognac Sable

Oh Tom Ford...why did it take you so long to come to Canada... 

Ok, so it's been here a little over 6 months now, but I'm finally reviewing my first Tom Ford purchase because I was undecided whether it was worth the money and thus whether or not to recommend it. 

Tom Ford's cosmetic line landed in Holt Renfrew in Toronto in October 2013, and when I finally got around to checking out the counter downtown a month later, it was already packed and busy and limited edition products were all sold out. So I ended up buying another "oldie but goodie", which is an eyeshadow quad that has been much talked and blogged about.

As with most luxe cosmetics, a velvety pouch is a must...

One thing I do have to credit Tom Ford for, is the packaging. It's very simple, yet sophisticated, not at all overly done, just simply...nice.

It is also one of the most reflective cases I've seen, now you get to see what camera I use for all my photos :)

Opening view of Cognac Sable... it comes with a protective plastic film. I was surprised that the little sponges also came with a little blending brush. This could be very useful when travelling if I've forgotten my brushes...

Here's a closeup... The upper right coppery-shimmer shade is gorgeous on the lid to glam up your look. The other 3 work great for an everyday natural eye or the darkest shade can be smoked out for a night out.

The shadows perform effortlessly with minimal fallout (the copper-shimmer shade does have a bit of fallout, so pat it on rather than "brush" it on). 

There's so many swatches already of this palette on various blogs that I won't bother adding to what's already out there. This post is just adding my opinion to the masses, that my wallet now hates me because I am in love with ridiculously expensive cosmetics! This bugger costs $85 CDN and is the most expensive eyeshadow quad I've ever bought, beating the Dior and Armani by about $20...and I want more...sigh... maybe I need to enter cosmetic rehab soon...

So...is it worth it? To be honest, I like the "feeling" of using this product more than the actual performance. Don't get me wrong, the performance is great, but I'm not sure that it out-performs Dior or Armani shadows at ~$20 less. The packaging is certainly better... so in the end, if you care about that "feeling" or the packaging, go for it you're gonna love it! If not, and your main focus is on shadow performance and value...then you will probably want to stick with other options (especially if you're starting out as an MUA, this is not kit-friendly due to price alone...unless you plan on having celebrity clients perhaps =P).

 

What's the most expensive color cosmetic you've ever bought?

Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Eyeshadow Palette #6

 I splurge on eyeshadows once in awhile...and this one was definitely a splurge...

GA's eyeshadow packaging is not as heavy and luxe as Tom Ford, but it's definitely unique despite the light weight plastic. 

 

I chose #6 because it was the most "natural" and I thought I could get the most use out of it, whether for everyday looks or using the darker shades for a smokey eye on an outing. 

This palette comes with two matte shades (bottom) and two light shimmery/satins, one is more warm toned and one is cool toned. I use the top shade for highlighting my inner corners, and the other for a sheer wash over the entire lid.

The 3rd shade I use as a contour while the darkest I either use to line my lashes or to further define the outer "V" when I'm putting on a heavier eye. 

 

Underneath the shadows are the two sponge applicators, which I have not been using (I prefer brushes or my fingers). Likely I will use them when traveling as it just makes it more convenient rather than having to wash brushes. 

As for overall performance, I am pleasantly surprised by how smooth and easily blendable these shadows are. They apply very evenly and I have yet to struggle with blotchy or chalky application. Other than Tom Ford, they are by far the smoothest eyeshadows I've tried thus far.  I have tried these with primer and without. They don't crease on me even without primer, however using a primer does help make the colors pop a bit more as I have quite dark eyelids naturally.

I'll definitely be getting a lot of use out of this palette, which makes me sort of think I have justified the price tag... =P 

What's your most recent splurge item? Share with me in the comments!

Dior Fusion Mono Matte Eyeshadow - Celeste Review

I'm a little late to get to this limited edition product from Dior's spring collection. In fact, by the time I found out about it in the blogsphere it was already sold out at Sephora/The Bay near me. Luckily it was still available on thebay.com yay!

It comes with a small brush which I don't find terribly useful as I already have cream eyeshadow brushes that I enjoy using. 

 

This eyeshadow has a very odd texture. It actually isn't really a cream...it feels like a rubber ball (cloest analogy I can think of) in the jar, and transforms to powder finish immediately on contact with skin. When applied with fingers, I barely see the color. It seems to color-correct the brown tint on my lids naturally and gives a brightening effect, but certainly does not look like the cool lavender color in the jar. Even when used with eye primer underneath, the color just doesn't pop when fingers are used to apply.

When applied with a brush, the color is much more pigmented, and can be built up. Currently, I use my fingers to apply on those days I just want to quickly brighten up my lid, and I use a brush when I want some of that lavender color to show. Powder eyeshadows can be easily blended over this.

Overall, great product, and makes me keen to try other shades in the line, but I think all the hype around this got my expectations up too high. 

Have you tried any of the shadows in this line? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Timeless Purple...Dior Eyeshadow Palette in 970 - Stylish Move

 It's fun to review new and limited edition products, but sometimes I just want to rave about the "oldie but goodie"!

I have had this palette for almost 2 years now, and it remains my no-fail go-to for special occasions when I want to spend the time to put 5 different shades on my eyes (you know that's the best part about getting ready...).  Yes I have bought new palettes since but this one has never let me down, especially when I don't want to think too hard.  The shades go super well with each other in any combination, and you can thus use this palette is to create anything from the very natural to the very dramatic.

The swatch below is made with 1 Q-tip swipe each to show how natural and "nude"-like the colors can be despite them looking vibrantly-purple/pink in the pan.

 What's your "oldie but goodie" product? Share with me in the comments as well as your blog post on it and I'd love to visit!

Depotting Lancome Holiday Edition Palette

As per my previous post, I got started with depotting recently and have become slightly obsessed =P After getting "experience" and feeling more confident about my depotting skills with the GWP Lancome palettes, I moved on to my more expensive stuff (albeit older).  This Lancome palette is from the 2010 or 2011 Holiday edition which I received as a gift.  This was waaaay harder to depot than the GWP palettes! Read on for my experience with this