Ways To Wear Series: Da Bling

Over the last couple of weeks I've been putting together a little series for the blog. Sometimes I look at my eye palettes, and I always end up picking the same combination of colors, or only using one shade with one other. I wanted to challenge myself to get more use out of the current colors I have, and think of new ways to wear them, and I'd like to share that with you all.

The first shade I've picked out to work with is Da Bling. Da Bling is one of my favorite permanent MAC shades, and probably one of the first that I picked out for myself. It's a mid-toned pink with gold shimmer. Pink is a color a lot of people avoid, but Da Bling is a great one to start out with if you are scared, because it really does play well with others.

For the first in my Way To Wear Series, I picked one of my all time favorite color combinations: Gold and Pink. For this look, I've used another classic MAC color (I'm trying to only use permanent colors in this series so that anyone can try out these combinations), Goldmine. This look can be softly worn during the day, and then by adding black liquid liner on top and on the lower inner rim, it really takes it up a notch for the night.

 

All colors MAC unless otherwise stated:
Base: ELF Shadow Primer
Inner Lid: Goldmine
Outer Lid and crease: Da Bling
Highlight: Shroom
Mascara: Maybelline Falsies

Elf Mineral Shadow Haul Part 2

A couple of weeks ago I brought you the first half of my Elf mineral eye shadow haul. Now it's time to take a look at the other 6 colors I picked up during the sale.

From L-R: Temptress, Trendy, Celebrity, Sassy, Seductive, Socialite

Temptress is a matte light brown. I think it's a really useful color for darkening the crease on a neutral look, and am pleased with it's color and wear. It goes on smoothly and has good pigmentation. 

Trendy is a very shimmery peachy gold. I didn't love this one as I found it quite sheer and it blended out to just large chunks of shimmer. I haven't tried it in a look, but it looks like it will be fallout central. 

Celebrity is a lighter, cooler toned gold. This one had much, much better pigmentation than Trendy. It is much lighter toned. This one looks gorgeous as a wash across the lids. 

Sassy is a beautiful rich copper tone. It reminds me of Orly Rage, or MAC's All That Glitters. It is very shimmery, so you need a light hand, but it is beautiful, rich color. 

Seductive is a matte charcoal gray. It's not quite black, but it's nearly there. I'm actually super wary of this color in powder form, as it is so easy to get too much, and too much of loose dark pigment can just smudge up a look, but if used lightly, this could be nice. For me though, it's too much work, and I'll stick to Carbon and Nehru for my dark looks. 

Socialite is a shimmery pewter taupe. It reminds me of MAC's Smoke and Diamonds, but it isn't quite as rich. It sheers out very nicely, and looks particularly gorgeous with Sassy. The shimmer content is very high, and it's not incredibly pigmented, but it leaves a gorgeous molten metal look on the eyes. 

So there you have the final round up of the Elf Mineral Eye Shadows. At just $3 a pop, and plenty of deals and discounts on the site, these are worth a look. My favorites? Sassy, Socialite, Natural. and Golden. Pass on Seductive and Trendy. 

MAC Dare To Wear Haul

I have not been this excited about a MAC collection since To The Beach, and that was two months ago! Sorry, but In The Groove just left me feeling meh. After much perusing of online swatches and reviews, I finally headed to the MAC store over the weekend. I decided not to pick up any permanent colors, instead leaving those on my incredibly long "to purchase" list, and focused only on the limited editions. It may have been the blue, blue sky, or the slightly cooler weather, but I found myself drawn to the blues in the collection, and ended up with Zingy, Sky Blue, Aqua, and Going Bananas.

L-R Zingy, Aqua, Sky Blue, Going Bananas

Zingy is a matte bright blue. It's a gorgeous color in the pan. When I got it home, it swatched HORRIBLY. Patchy and hard work.

Aqua is the most delicious, pretty, matte aqua. If Essie Mint Candy Apple came in eye shadow format, this would be it. The one I swatched in store came up fine, so why when I came home did it barely show up at all??? Matte shadows can be a pain to swatch only to play nice on the eyes, so I'm going to try a look with this this weekend. If it sucks, it's going back.

Sky Blue is a cool, sky blue frost eye shadow. Where frost eye shadows usually are the bold, badly behaved children in the crowd, Sky Blue is a pretty, breath of fresh air. I want to dab this on the corner of my eyes or lash line to brighten up my look. Like a cool, blast of AC on a humid day.

Going Bananas is BRIIIGHT!!! It's a frosty bright, straight yellow. It is ever so slightly cool toned. This is a knock your socks off in your face shimmery, frosty bright. Can't wait to figure out how to play around with it.

I was sorely tempted by Free To Be and Louder Please, but Louder Please just didn't look far enough away from Passionate for me to be able to justify it.

All in all, while the colors in this collection are gorgeously amazing, I'm a little disappointed by the quality, and it looks like I might be returned a couple, which is sad, sad. The only consolation is that it's 3 weeks until Fabulous Felines!!!!!

Zingy, Aqua

Sky Blue, Going Bananas

Elf Mineral Shadow Haul

Clockwise from top: Angelic, Elegant, Innocent, Golden, Sweet

A couple of months ago I came across one of my all time favorite products: Elf Mineral Eye Shadow in Natural. It's a gorgeous shimmery peach color that is so flattering. As I was so happy with this product, I was excited to try some more colors from the range during their recent 60% off sale.

L-R: Angelic, Elegant, Innocent, Golden, Sweet

I ended up picking up about 10 colors, which I'll review in phases. (I'm sorry, I just can't handle all that typing right now - my legs are aching from a ridiculous work-out and yoga session, so it's all I can do to keep my fingers moving across the keyboard!). I'll start with the lighter shades:


Angelic is a very shimmery, cool, white. This is quite a strong, bright, white, with a lot of shimmer. One for a very light hand.

Elegant is a more golden peach toned shimmery color. It's lighter than peach though. This is pretty and wearable. I like it a lot.

Innocent is a matte sheer cream. This didn't swatch very well so I did not have high hopes for this color at all, along with my general lack of experience with mattes (is it just me, or are other people a lit bit intimidated by them?). Having said that, I did a look a couple of days ago using Innocent, and really loved it! It goes on nice and smoothly, and provides a gorgeous, matte, sophisticated wash of cream. Definitely worth trying out, especially if you haven't played around much with them.

Golden is probably my favorite out of this batch of colors - it's a very simple, shimmery wash of golden. I think that it runs closer to amber rather than golden (more orange than yellow), but it's a beautiful rich color that looks pretty in both summer and fall.

Sweet is a cool, sheer, shimmery baby pink. This color was an experiment, and I'm not yet sure if I can pull it off. It is not very pigmented, but it is definitely pink. I feel like if you use this shade with Elegant it might work, but on it's own, it's too much shimmer, too much pink.

Elf Mineral Eye Shadows retail for $3, but ELF frequently run sales and coupon codes, so be sure to look out for a deal. Even if not every color is a winner, They come in small tubs with a shaker top to control how much product comes though. I do like the quality of these shadows - as a rule they last a long time, have decent pigmentation, and are easy to blend. They do have quite a lot of shimmer, so be warned if shimmer is not your thing.

Have you tried Elf Mineral Eye Shadows? Is there a shade you like I've missed out?

The Naked Palette Makes Me Wanna Go Nekkid

When Urban Decay get it right, they get it really right. And this is one of those times that a product is just oh-so-good. For a start, it's fricking huge!!! It's about 7 inches long and 2 inches wide. It's in a brown velvet casing which feels pretty nice to touch, and the palette, despite it's cardboard interior, feels nice and resilient. It has a small mirror on the inside as well.

Yeah, yeah, get on with the colors, girl!! What are the colors like?

Urban Decay are not a brand known for their amazing neutrals - they usually leave that space to MAC and Bobbi Brown. However, the twelve colors they've put out in this are going to make you rethink that image.

Left to Right: Virgin, Sin, Naked, Sidecar

Virgin is a pale, slightly shimmery nude, in the same vein as MAC's Vanilla. It is smooth to apply and would work as a wash on your lids or a highlighter.

Sin is a permanent color that I've come across in Alice in Wonderland. It is up there as all-time most awesome Urban Decay shadow ever. It's a pinky-peach toned shimmery neutral, and incredibly versatile. Again, swatched nicely, with decent pigmentation.

Naked is a matte light brown - dirt brown I'd call it - but something more pleasant. Even though it's a matte, it swatches nicely, giving off a good, smooth color.

Sidecar is a shimmery light bronze. It actually has some glitter thrown in there, so for me I'd be a little more careful with using it, but it's not like Midnight Cowboy Rides Again or anything like that.

Left to Right: Buck, Half Baked, Smog, Darkhorse

Buck is a matte mid-tone brown. It's good to swatch as well.

Half Baked has been in every Urban Decay palette I've ever bought. It's nice, but really? Okay, for the 12 people in the world who have never seen Half Baked, it's a rich, shimmery, golden bronze color. I will give UD credit - it is an incredibly pretty shade.

Smog is a darker bronze shimmery shade with yummy pay off. For those MAC dupers out there, this looks like a great dupe for Bronze if it was on your must have list.

Darkhorse is a coffee brown shimmery color flecked with coppery-bronze. This color was incredibly rich - gorgeous but go with a light hand!

Left to Right: Toasted, Hustle, Creep, Gunmetal

Toasted is like a darker version of Sin. It's a pinky-brown shimmer.

Hustle was the only one which gave me an uneven swatch. It's a purple-brown color with a slight shimmer.

Creep is a dark grey with a touch of glitter.

Gunmetal has also been in a couple of other palettes. It's a deep shimmery great with shimmer and some glitter. It can take up the color of base coats quite well and appear more pink toned or teal toned, depending on what it's playing with.

12 colors of awesomeness, I'm tell you. They all place nicely with each other, they can be dressed up, dressed down - I love it. The kit also comes with a mini Primer Potion (I have about 7 of those now!) and a Zero 24/7 pencil and a  Whiskey 24/7 pencil. I particularly loved how the pencil is double ended, because, although I have heaps of mini Zero's around my make up, I am always losing them because they are mini.

The palette retails at $44 and is available from ULTA Beauty, and Sephora. There's a lot of hype about this product, so grab it while you can!

New Super Product: Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream

I have been meaning to try the Make Up Forever Aqua Creams for a couple of months now, but for some reason have been managing, for the most part, to keep my credit card in my wallet and be strong with my purchasing instincts. However, it all got a bit too much for me and so I finally caved and went to Sephora on Sunday and picked up a pot. There are two types of Aqua Creams – ones that are suitable for eyes and cheeks, and ones that are suitable for cheeks and lips. After much, much deliberation, I picked out an eyes/cheeks pot in #16 – Pink Beige. When I swatched it in store, it appeared to be a pinky gold, but whenever I came home, it was much cooler than I had thought. Typical Sephora lighting. Honestly, that store kills me with its crowded aisles, manky testers, lack of product (stock I mean), and weird lighting. All is usually forgiven for its awesome returns policy and huge breadth of choice.

As I was a little disappointed when I tested the shade as it wasn’t quite what I had been expecting, I did not have particularly high hopes for this product. People, I was wrong. The color is really quite beautiful in a cool, shimmering, kind of way, which I can imagine looking fresh both in summer and winter. The cream has quite a thick consistency, so you should be careful with your brush when you pick it up in case you get too much. However, it applies like a gorgeous, rich, frosting and so, so smooth. I found it super easy to blend as well. The finish is not for the faint-hearted – these little pots pack a shimmer! I can imagine the brighter colors like aqua and teal might be quite hard to wear, but this pretty, shimmery cool pink was actually surprisingly neutral. I was really expecting it to make me look ill or strange, but instead got a pretty, shimmering bright effect. They can take a minute or two to set, and during this period the creams can feel a little tacky to the touch, but once they are set, they sit in place for hours and hours, although came off quite easily with my Neutrogena wipes. 

My particular pot is suitable for either eyes or cheeks. I did try it on my cheeks as well, but the shimmer is just too much for me to be comfortable wearing, to be honest, and if I want a wearable amount of shimmer, the color is incredibly sheer. The lips and cheeks colors look like they would be more suitable for multi-tasking to be honest.

I have heard of people getting addicted to collecting these little pots of goodness, and now that I’ve tried one, I can see why. They truly are little pots of magic. I’m already debating which colors to pick up next.

Urban Decay Stardust Shadows: A Glittery Feast!

Urban Decay came out with their Stardust Eye Shadow back in February. They are billed as being extra sparkly with no fall-out. Those are big claims for glitter eyeshadow. I have been swatching them in Sephora for quite some time, and when Urban Decay had a Friends and Family sale, I jumped at the chance to try out a couple. I picked Atmosphere and Space Cowboy. Atmosphere is a bright turquoise with silver glitter pieces. Space Cowboy is beige with silver sparkle.

The packaging for the shadows is a little bit different from the other Urban Decay shadows I've seen. They come in a rubberized square case where you have to squeeze them open. Interesting! The consistency of the Stardust shadows is also quite strange. They are sheer to go on at first, although if you swatch them heavily you will get some good color payoff, and they can also be used wet. They feel slightly gritty as well, due to the large amount of glitter. The glitter payoff is good - they really are the sparkliest shadows that I have ever seen. I wore them yesterday and was also impressed with the staying power. I wasn't entirely fall-out free, but it was pretty good, considering the level of sparkle I was getting.

The major thing I found with these two shadows though was that they were impossible to blend. They just didn't want to do it. Once they were on my lid (I was using UD Primer Potion as a base), they were impossible to move around or blend with each other. I was trying to blend out a sheer wash of turquoise into the beige, and it just was not happening. I think you need to go with a very light hand with these and really build up the color that you are looking for.

I do think that these are the best glitter shadows on the market. In particular I liked Space Cowboy as it's almost colorless, so just provides a wash of glitter on your lid which is pretty cool. They definitely require a bit of practice to have them work they way you want them to though.

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Benefit Creaseless Cream Knocks My Socks Off

Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner ($19) was going to be a hard sell to me, because it was Benefit's old formula of creaseless eyeshadow that put me off the brand. I admit that this was about 10 years ago, but it has taken me until really this year to give the brand a second chance. I had read some very high praise reviews of this shadow all over the blogosphere, so during the Sephora VIB sale I thought I would give it a chance. 

My first impression was why is the box so much bigger than the pot? If you gave this box to a friend, they would think that they were getting a huge pot of eyeshadow, and instead out pops a fairly reasonably sized pot (0.16oz - MAC is $16.50 for 0.17oz for their paint pots for comparison). You get I’m not saying Benefit are not generous in their product, I’m just saying the box is misleading. 

The color is a shimmery, cool toned, brownish taupe. It’s hard to describe, apart from being incredibly neutral. I swatched it below, and it is almost impossible to see on my arm. It is very, very cream and soft, so I sometimes find that my brush lifts up to much product. I have also noticed it does have a weird smell. Maybe this is just mine though – I’d love to verify this! 

So far you are thinking that this product is not so amazing, ya-da-ya-da. And then you put it on. Oh my. It is the most amazingly perfect soft, neutral, my eyes but better color and finish that I’ve ever seen. The color is barely there on me, but enough to make my eyes look better, brighter, more lovely. I put it on over my standard base (MAC Paint), so I have no idea how this lasts on its own, but it lasted all day with no creasing or moving for me. Since I opened this on Saturday morning to try it out I have used it every day since as my easy, no stress, look, and I probably will be hard pushed to switch out of it. There is quite simply no reason to use anything else. This far, far exceeded my expectations, and I’m sure it will yours as well.

This post contains an affiliate link. Affiliate links in no way influence the outcome of reviews on Jolie Laide Girl. 

MAC Dirty Grease Paint Stick

Last weekend I needed a quick but sophisticated look for going to brunch and the MOMA with some friends of ours. Although MAC Grease Paint Sticks on first glance appear to be all about the drama and the smoke, actuallly, they can be just gorgeous and subtle as well. I dotted a line along my lid and into my crease, and took a blending blush to blend the color evenly. It lasted for about 8 or 9hrs. I was pleased, and will definitely be wearing this to work. Simple, yes, even a little dull, but also pretty and so simple!

Spring Changes in My Make Up Bag

The change of seasons has definitely brought about a change in my beauty routine. I don’t know about you, but with having an everyday job in a corporate office, my day-to-day make up doesn’t really get any opportunities to change that much on a daily basis. I keep my experimentations to evenings and weekends. However, I thought you might be interested to know what products I’m using on an every day basis to keep me looking fresh and bright all day long at work.

 (clockwise from top left: Elf Caffeinated, Elf Natural, Benefit Nice Melons)

Eyeshadows:

In the winter, I default to combinations involving Satin Taupe or Woodwinked. Spring time is a chance to go a little lighter, and right now I’m having real crushes on a couple of colors that wake me up each morning. These are colors that I don’t need to think about and I know are going to play well with others! A couple of months ago I did a rundown of peachy-gold shadows that I love – I’m still working them on an every day basis. Benefit’s Velvet Eyeshadow in Nice Melons and ELF’s Mineral Shadow in
Natural are both default morning looks. I quite often use Nice Melons on its own. Elf’s Natural is either on its own, or with ELF Mineral Shadow in Caffeinated, which is a cool, shimmery brown taupe. I use it very lightly to darken my crease. I also love MAC’s Spring Color Forecast Quad in the Gold colors – Flip can either be combined with either of the other two colors and highlighted with Manila for an easy, no-brainer look. Let’s face it, weekday morning make up is all about being able to do while half asleep!

Elf HD Powder

Base:

Since changing up my skin routine with the Clarisonic, I’ve stopped using foundation, and instead mix up my own tinted moisturizer. This means I’m also not using primer, which, although I do not feel like I need, upsets me as I have about 4 primer samples in a drawer to test! But I’m not using any other moisturizer during the day apart from my tinted, so primer doesn’t really have a good place in my routine at the moment. I'll test it out on nights on the town (do people still say that? Or just my parents?) I’m not noticing any major lasting problems with my moisturizer, so it’s not a big deal. I use ELF’s High Definition Powder on a daily basis. It works well enough, I do not have any major problems with it, but I have a sneaking suspicion that there is something better out there. Comments please?!?

 Clockwise from top left - MAC Ripe Peach, Benefit Sugarbomb, MAC Shell Pink

Blush:

I have a rotating cast of spring blushes that I feel comfortable with throwing on in the morning and not making a mess off. Benefit Sugarbomb is gorgeous and instantly flattering. MAC’s Shell Pink form Liberty of London is a pretty pink with gold shimmer which is subtle enough to be easy to use. MAC’s Ripe Peach is so pretty and springlike that it’s hard not to use it every day. It’s a gorgeous peachy pink that can be blended to run more peach or pink depending on your taste.

L-R: MAC Creme Cup, NARS Dolce Vita, MAC Warm Me Up, NYX Tea Rose

Lips:

I'm very much in a nude pink place these days for my lips, and each morning I find myself reaching for either MAC Creme Cup or Warm Me Up (a touch more on the brown side), NARS Dolce Vita, or NYX Tea Rose.


Has your make up basics changed up with the spring weather? Do you have any suggestions for make up must haves for the warmer weather?