Long Wear Shadows For Summer: New Make Up For Ever Aqua XL Color Paint Shadows with Swatches

As an oily-skinned gal, summer makeup comes with its own set of challenges. Mainly how the heck is anything going to stay on my face?! Last summer I wore the heck out of this cream shadow that lasts all day without creasing, and was looking for new ones to try this year. These MUFE Aqua XL Color Paints fit the bill perfectly!

From left to right: M-52, I-50, I-42, I-80, L-54, M-56, L-30

There are a ton of colors in this collection including super bright and fun summer colors, but you know I immediately grabbed for all the neutrals when opening the box MUFE sent me. And there are sooooo many good ones both in matte and shimmer formulas. I have been using the matte bone colored shade as an eyeshadow base mostly and the dark brown as a liner, but the shimmer colors are best used on the lid alone. And if you are wondering if these are long wearing, let me just tell you that after these swatches I had to scrubbbbbbb to get them off. I find they remove best with a good cleansing oil when on the eyes, so just know that a basic cream or gel cleanser will do nothing for them. Ha! The pigmentation is nice and even and they blend beautifully. The packaging is always a tad underwhelming with MUFE but thankfully what's inside doesn't disappoint.

*pr samples included

Shop more cream shadows:

Wander Beauty Cream Eyeshadows

Cream shadows can be hit or miss in my opinion. The really creamy ones can be amazing to blend but the tiniest bit of oil can make them crease like crazy. And then there are the ones that may last forever on the lid, but dry before you even finish blending. Eek! These new cream eyeshadows from Wander Beauty fall somewhere in between. They swatch beautifully, deposit an even amount of color and allow enough time to blend thoroughly before drying down to a creaseless finish.

I instantly fell in love with Bronze because it's gives depth to a look without needing multiple colors. It actually has a slightly thicker texture which I like. I can apply this with my fingers but prefer using a brush to blend. While it does dry down quickly, I still have time to move it around and get a finished look. Champagne is thinner in texture but after wearing it a few times, I enjoy that it looks more like glowing skin on the lids rather than a shimmer shadow. And because the color is so delicate and the formula is so sheer, I have been tempted to tap it onto my cheekbones for a warm glow.

There are 4 shades to this range, and all are wearable and suitable for any skin tone and any occasion. 

*pr samples included

Shop more wander beauty products here:

My Favorite Cream and Powder Eyeshadow Formulas

As a blogger, I have the opportunity to try tons of products and it can often be hard to narrow down favorites in a sea of great products. But I am constantly asked about my holy grails, can't-live-withouts or best of the best. I do a 'Best of" at the end of every year (see last year's here) where I recap all my favorite products from the past 12 months. But this post came to me one morning when I was doing my makeup and said to myself "these are by far the best eye shadows I have ever used". And so a post was born. It almost seems impossible, but I was able to narrow down my favorite powder and cream eye shadow formulas to these two brands.

1. Charlotte Tilbury Cream Eyeshadows in Veruschka (top right), Bette (middle) and Marie Antoinette (bottom) - I know it's been said before, but Charlotte Tilbury products are consistently good. Strike that....great. They are consistently great. This quad in Sophisticate is still a staple in my collection, the shadow sticks are super long-wearing yet creamy and this concealer is your own personal lighting crew in a pen. I have tried quite a number of cream shadows and these by far blow all of those out of the water. And for me to make a bold statement of "favorite" from a product I have only been testing for a month or two is gutsy. But the title is warranted. The texture is the smoothest I have ever felt, but yet do not move once on the lid. The problem I have with cream shadows is that they can become sheerer and sheerer the more you try and blend them. Not a problem with these. They blend seamlessly and stay smooth on the lids the entire time. All three shades are flawless and work for day or night. A truly stellar product amidst a marketplace of stiff competition.  

2. Gucci Solo Eye Shadows in Mosaic (top right), Sunstone (bottom right), Sasso (bottom left) and Antique Gold (top left) (the swatches on my arm below show the colors better than the above pictures - my apologies because the light was not working with me this day) - It should come as no surprise to my regular blog readers that this formula made the list. I first purchased Oxydus and Starlight (see a tutorial with it here) earlier this year and could not believe how amazing the texture was on these solo shadows. They are buttery, soft and blend better than any powder shadow I have ever tried. There is little to no fallout and they last all. day. long. I recently added these four additional shades to my collection and am loving how many wearable neutrals Gucci has for this formulation. It's refreshing to have neutrals that are not my usual beige and brown - having a muted green and subtle steel gray is a nice change of pace. I always travel with at least one of these shadows and wear one of them at least once or twice a week regardless of what I am testing. I had my doubts about Gucci's foray into beauty, and while I have not yet dabbled in the rest of the line, this solo shadow formula receives my highest honor of  holy grail.

Swatches from left to right: Charlotte Tilbury Marie Antoinette, Veruschka and Bette. Next are Gucci Mosaic, Antique Gold, Sasso and Sunstone. 

*pr samples included

Have you tried any of these eyeshadows? What are your holy grail eyeshadow formulas? Let me know in the comments below!

Golden Shadows That Give A Sheer Wash Of Color

Happy Thanksgiving!!! As much as I love wearing a full face every day, time may not always permit for a look with all the fixins'. Being able to find those eye shadow shades that you can just swipe over the lid and blend quickly (with either a brush or fingers) is paramount to keeping a morning routine manageable. Beige-y and golden tones are often the easiest to apply, go on without too much fuss and are great for both day or night. Here are 5 of my easy breezy gold shimmer shadows that I love to throw on and dash out the door.

1. mark. All Time Eye Hook Up Longwear Shadow in Tender Love - I rarely use liquid eye shadows since I find they can be too heavy looking on the lids, but was pleasantly surprised when I tried this one from mark.girl.  I swatched it quite heavily on my arm so you could see the full pay-off, but when blended down on the lids it's a gorgeous mix of both beige and gray. For those with non-oily lids, this may be one to wear alone but I still need a primer as a base (this one and this one are my two in constant rotation).

2. Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Rose Gold - If you use any of the Laura Mercier caviar sticks, you will know why I included it in my round up. They are super easy to use, blend and last forever on the lids. This one is absolutely the most beautiful champagne color that looks great with both nude and bold lips. One of my favorite ways to wear this is with tons of mascara, a flushed cheek and a spicy red lipstick (currently loving Iconic Red from Gucci).

3. Almay Shadow Softies in Creme Brulee - I know the swatches above see somewhat measly and non-existent, but the daylight was really washing out the color. The texture of this shadow is a mix between cream and powder (and has almost a bouncy feel to it - it's so cool), and is the perfect weekend, off-duty look. This on the lids, bronzer on the cheeks and gloss on the lips and I'm ready in under 5 minutes. Everyone needs one of those shadows in their collection, right?

4. Sisley Phyto-Ombre Glow Shadow in Pearl - These Sisley shadows are a bit bolder in both pigmentation and shine so this may only be an evening option for many of you, but I personally like to mix this with a slightly more matte base underneath. I apply a matte nude shade first and then dust the Sisley shadow over top concentrating on the center of the eye for a bit of an eye-popping glow that really helps to give the eye a super wide-awake look.

5. Sisley Phyto-Ombre Glow Shadow in Amber -The darker of the two Sisley shades is absolutely perfect for smudging at the lash line for a sultry bronzy effect  that could work for either day or evening, depending on how heavy it is applied. I forgot to mention in the above review, but as you can see from the swatches, these are pigmented and super buttery for a powder shadow and if blended well enough can look as flawless as a cream shadow. In fact, they are so soft that I found applying them with my finger was one of my favorite ways to blend them evenly. The warmth of my finger really melted the color right into the skin creating almost a liquid metal finish. Super sass approved.

*pr samples included

I Am FINALLY Here For Cream Eye Shadows

I've decided I am going to stop making generalized statements about beauty products, makeup or skincare. Because just when I say something definitive, I find a product to contradict my thoughts. TYPICAL. I was never here for lip glosses, and now I am loving a ton. Buxom, Laura Mercier, Hourglass - the list goes on. Ugh, when will I learn? And now here I am again eating crow about cream eye shadows. I don't typically gravitate towards them and try to avoid them when I can, but lo and behold I found some I love, and have to go back and eat my words. Currently the only cream eye shadows holding court in my collection are my Chanel and Laura Mercier cream shadows. 

1. Dolce & Gabbana Perfect Mono Cream Eye Color - Though I assume all cream shadows will perform the same, in reality they are all quite different. The first thing I noticed about these D&G shadows was their intense pigmentation and how small an amount I needed to cover my entire lid. The matte shade in Cocoa was gorgeous as a base for a smokey eye, and the other two shades Dahlia and Innocence were great when worn alone on the lid. The second thing I noticed was how incredibly fast they set, so you need to work quickly. I made the mistake initially of applying too much on my lid and by the time I got around to blending it, it had set already. So use a small amount and build up. But the effect of a fast dry down time is the incredibly long wear time. These are NOT MOVING once you apply them, so make sure you plan a long day ahead of yourself because your shadow is going the distance. I still use a primer with these just because I have insanely oily lids, but I'm inclined to believe that these may wear well alone.

2. Buxom Stay-There Eye Shadows - The Buxom shadows are a tad more sheer and stay emollient on the lids for much longer so you don't have to rush to blend. They are quite shimmery when swatched but the shimmer dulls down a bit once on the lids so they can easily be worn during the day. I find that I definitely need a primer with these since they have such a creamy texture, but nonetheless they last all day once I add my trusty Urban Decay Primer Potion or NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base. Of course Golden Retriever was my favorite, but surprisingly Shih Tzu was a runner up. That golden olive green looks gorgeous when blended with warm browns or plums. Chihuahua is a stand-out silver that is little black dress approved. I can see that worn with a smokey gray eye and bronzed cheeks and lips. And while Poodle reads quite yellow on my arm, it looks natural when on my lid and has been one of my favorite colors to wear with red lipstick.

What are some of your favorite cream eye shadows? Tell me in the comments below!

A Chanel Haul and Review: Perfection Lumiere Velvet Foundation, Illusion D'Ombre in Emerveille, and Les Beiges Summer 2014

So I had a mini Chanel haul recently (sometimes a bad day just calls for it, ya know?) and I have had a week or so to try out some of my picks.....and well I have some thoughts. I purchased the Chanel Perfection Lumiere Velvet, Illusion D'Ombre in Emerveille, and one of the new Les Beiges for Summer 2014. So pretty to look at, but to be honest, I have had mixed reviews on all three. I typically love Chanel products...the mascara, the blushes, the eye shadow quads, but these products did not blow me away. There were aspects of them I liked, and aspects I didn't. Let me explain....

1. Illusion D'Ombre in Emerveille - Absolutely stunning in swatches (see last pic, far right swatch), and goes on like a dream. But I have extremely oily eye lids and this just creased like mad. *insert major sad face* I only got a few hours wear out of it before I was touching it up with my fingers. Now that being said, I will continue to wear it because I adore the color, but will simply save it for days that I don't plan on needing it to go the distance, i.e. 8-10 hours worth of wear. An afternoon of shopping? Yes. A weekend brunch? I'm wearing it. And I putting a bright pink cheek and punchy lip with it. 

2. Perfection Lumiere Velvet in 10 Beige (far left swatch on bottom pic) - The reviews are all over the place for this foundation, but I had to try it for myself. (I'm stubborn like that) Designed to be more matte, I was immediately drawn to it, but I quickly found that the shine broke through just an hour or two after application. The initial look of it on the skin is flawless - absolutely stunning. A velvet-y finish that makes the skin look like satin. But after a few hours, it began to break down a bit, and by late afternoon there were parts of my face that were without foundation. I am quite oily, but that is pretty rare for me to experience. The final verdict - I will keep using because I love how it makes my skin look initially, but as with the Illusion D'Ombre, it will have to be worn for less hours. No desk to dinner situation for this one. 

3. Les Beiges No. 1 Limited Edition (middle swatch below) - Best feature of this product: the texture. It is so finely milled that it almost feels like a cream to the touch. So silky and smooth. Worst feature of this product: I have to apply a TON onto my face for it show up! Me. Casper. The palest girl on the planet needs to apply a product heavily to appear on her face.  That is madness. Even with the swatch below, I had to really dig in there to get it sufficient for the shot. I know it is not meant to be a strong statement blush or face color, but I was hoping for something with a tad more oooomph. Will I keep using? Yes. And here is the sad truth why. I just think it is so darn pretty. There you have it folks.....a brutal confession from a true makeup addict. I am using a product because I think it is pretty. Don't get me wrong, there is some color payoff, but not enough to make me buy backups so I never run out.

So that's my two cents on some popular products. You win some, you lose some. And some you just use because they are pretty.

Have you used any of these Chanel products? What are your thoughts?

Need more sass?  Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.