Things in life change fast! In a matter of months, I have gone from not thinking cream shadows could be that amazing to wanting to try them all! I remember reading about bareMinerals Prime Time Primer Shadows when they first came out, but didn’t realize I could get them online here. When I did, I knew I had to grab Urban Nature!
Hey everybody, happy Saint Patrick’s! I know by the time this goes up it’ll be past midnight here, but for the majority of you it’s still Saint Patrick’s, so let’s pretend it’s all OK :p
To create my Saint Patrick’s Day look, I used Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Pencil in Stash as base, blended out with my finger. I then put the lighter shade of NARS Paramaribo on the inner half, and then MAC Humid on the outer half. My inner corners are highlighted with the browbone shade on the left column of Wet n’ Wild Comfort Zone. I lined my upper lash line with Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel liner, and my lower lash line with Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Pencil in Mildew. I smudged both out with the crease shade on the right column of Comfort Zone.
I used Cargo Rome on my cheeks, Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess to contour. On my lips I had MAC Butterfly Dream layered on top of MAC Sweetie.
Here are some more pictures so you can see everything from different angles. Do excuse the huge pimple I didn’t manage to cover up on my chin. It has actually been majorly improved compared with how it was a couple of days ago!
For someone who would wear green eyeshadows on any given day, Saint Patrick’s Day is like a happy free-for-all! In retrospect I could have blended everything higher for more drama, but it was actually the first time that I layered eyeshadows on top of a liner, so I still have to practice some more!
Did you guys wear green for Saint Patrick’s Day? Do you have a favorite green eyeshadow? Or is green a color you haven’t found the courage to wear?
I hope you’re having a nice weekend! I’ll be working on the Katy Perry false eyelashes post tomorrow, so you can keep your eyes peeled for that 🙂
Sunny, your beauty culture translator xx
Yesterday I went to my old housemate T’s birthday party in Brussels. His whole family was here, as well as some close friends that I know but haven’t seen for a while. It was nice! Afterwards I went wedding dress shopping with his sister S. It was a bit like a real-life episode of Say Yes to the Dress with her mum having drastically different taste from her own, but at the end they managed to reach a compromise so everybody went home happy!
I received MAC Woodwinked in a swap this week and wanted to put it to use (swatch and review coming soon). To spice things up a bit more, I decided to incorporate Humid as well. And yes, I love Darkhorse, but for once I wanted to switch to something else. I ended up going for a shade in my Wet n’ Wild Comfort Zone palette, and dare I say myself that was pretty ingenious! Here are more pictures, the list of products that I used, and detailed breakdown!
Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in 53 Light Beige
Tarte Smooth Operator finishing powder
Bobbi Brown Sable on eyebrows
I primed my eyelids with UDPP (unless otherwise stated, I systematically use UDPP) before putting MAC Woodwinked on two thirds of my lids. For the outer third, I used the crease shade on the right column of Wet n’ Wild Comfort Zone. The lightest shade of NYX Rock and Roll was used for my inner corners, and Bobbi Brown Bone for my brow bones.
I applied Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Gel Eyeliner in Blackest Black on my upper lash line and waterline, smudged out with MAC Humid.
Urban Decay Mildew was used for my lower lash line, also smudged out with Humid.
Maybelline Magnum Volum’ Express Black (waterproof)
Cargo Rome on cheeks (swatch and review coming soon)
MAC Harmony to contour
Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess (swatch and review coming soon)
Burt’s Bees Replenishing Lip Balm with Pomegranate Oil on lips
I used not to like gold at all because I associated it with the type of accessories my mother/grandmother would wear. It is supposed to be traditional and old-fashioned, not cool. Even with my initial success with Urban Decay Half Naked, I didn’t feel the impulse to collect more gold eyeshadows. After I saw how L’Oreal HiP Metallic Shadow duo in Gilded worked for me however, the gold-digging monster awoke in me. MAC Woodwinked is my latest acquisition, but I already have MAC Goldmine, MAC Gorgeous Gold, and NARS Paramaribo (among many others haha) high on my wish list! Woodwinked is a shimmery warm gold on me. I see a bit of red in it, so it is almost coppery but not quite.
I knew that Darkhorse would be a no-brainer to pair with it, but just because it’s a great shade doesn’t mean I have to prove it to my dear readers in each and every one of my FOTDs. Instead, I grabbed my Wet n’ Wild Comfort Zone and used the crease shade of the right column for the outer third of my lids. I had not previously used this shade before, but it’s a charcoal brown with gold shimmer, so what could possibly go wrong? It turned out that I basically hit the jackpot! Not only did the gold shimmer play very nicely with Woodwinked, two things that I had not foreseen happened. First of all, when paired with gold, this crease shade shows an interesting green tinge. It’s almost as if it were rusted brass or something. I’m sorry I can’t come up with a more romantic/accurate comparison, but that was the first thing that popped up in my head when I was applying this eyeshadow, and I was mesmerized. Second, this makes a killer crease shade for me personally, because it is so natural yet effective that it is as if I had a real crease! I don’t know what makes this so special. I have seen a lot of good crease shades, but not all of them make it look like I have a real crease.
For my lower lash line, I opted for Urban Decay Mildew, and I smudged both my upper and lower lash line out with MAC Humid. Humid is a bold green that is actually pretty versatile, and pairing it with gold is one of my favorite ways to wear it! The effect is not very much in-your-face, but it is definitely there.
Before I can blabber on and on, let’s see some more pictures!
Behold the pop of green:
At a certain angle you see the greenish tinge of the crease shade:
With my downcast eyes, you can see the shimmery gold in MAC Woodwinked better:
All in all I was pretty happy about it! On my cheeks I tested out Cargo Rome and Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess. I’ll have the swatches and reviews up soon!
The only part that I couldn’t quite “make it work” was still the lip color, so I just went with my lip balm instead. I would love for example a peachy and a coral lip product, but picking lip products is usually very difficult for me. My lips are naturally pretty pigmented, so a lot of lipsticks/glosses that look great in the tube don’t change anything at all for me. I am not too comfortable wearing very bold lip colors yet (and I don’t want my lip color to compete with my eyes), so I am a bit stuck. Does anyone have any recommendations? I would really appreciate it!
That’s my green and gold FOTD for ya! If you like it, please “like” this post, follow me with Bloglovin’, or leave a comment (especially if you have recommendations for good coral/peachy lip colors)! Thanks guys! I hope you’re enjoying your weekend, please stay tuned and stick around!
Sunny xx
After my good experience with L’Oreal Electrified, I felt the need to lay my greedy little hands on more of these HiP Metallic Shadow Duos. Since they are unavailable in Belgium (why, L’Oreal, why? Why can’t you love thy neighbor?), I turned to Makeupalley swap. I found this wishlist-only swapper who had something on her wishlist that I could part with, so I messaged her. It turned out that she actually put the wrong item on her wishlist, but decided to send the duos for me as a random act of kindness. I was such a sweet surprise that I didn’t know what to do with myself anymore!
Therefore, before I begin to show you the review and swatches, I have to say thank you, thank you, thank you to Sarah. According to her, her top three hobbies are makeup, knitting, and jewelry-making. She has two Etsy shops. One for knitting and spinning supplies, and the other for handmade jewelry. Now, I have poor hand-eye coordination and no patience, so knitting is really not my thing. However, I LOVE her jewelry especially because she pretty much only uses sterling silver. I have once bought something off Etsy because I find jewelry with bees and birds adorable. However, I couldn’t find anything that was made with sterling silver, so I had to compromise and get something that was not. I am very unfortunately allergic to anything that is not silver and gold, so I ended up wearing that pair of earrings only twice. Every time I tried, my ears would swell up painfully, and I couldn’t wear earrings for days afterwards. If you have the same problem, do check Sarah’s jewelry site out! I can feel that it is before long that I cave it to one piece or another!
Now, let’s move on to the most picture-heavy post of this blog so far, shall we? 😉
The lighter side of Sculpted (106) is a gorgeous shimmery plummy pink. I really like this color, and the texture/pigmentation perform pretty well. The dark side of this duo is a little tricky. It looks more purple/burgundy in pan, but from the swatch you can see it is almost black. It definitely leans warmer though, and the pink and purple glitter in it makes it more fun! I haven’t tested it out on my eyes so I can’t tell you for sure if there is fallout. However, I don’t have the impression that it is going to be the case from doing the swatches (or rather even if there is going to be fallout, it is not going to be dramatically bad). I do have to mention that this shade is slightly stiffer and the color pay-off is not as amazing as its lighter neighbor though. As this post goes on you will see this is consistent for all the HiP duos that I own. You can build it up rather easily, but it is a little more effort.
The closest colors I own to these two shades are Urban Decay Toasted and the left-column definer shade of Wet n’ Wild Comfort Zone, so I did a little comparison here:
As you can see, Toasted is FAR from the lighter shade, as it is not nearly as plummy. The definer shade of Comfort Zone is browner and warmer than the darker shade and less glittery.
Next on our list is 306 Gunmetal:
It is perhaps a little weird to name a green duo “Gunmetal (306),” but after swatching both shades, I can see that they have a grayish, smoked-out quality about them. The lighter side is a grayish olive green with a nice sheen. The darker side looks like an intense glittery forest green in pan. However, once swatched, the vibrancy of the green doesn’t transfer to skin. In my swatch picture you can see it is an extremely smoked-out green, though in person the glitter is much more impressive. Again, the texture is rather stiff, and it takes work to build it up. I know that the major complaint about this duo is that it looks very different in pan, and I have to agree with that. If you purchase the duo without having seen some swatches, you are likely to get something that is far from what you expected. With that said however, I personally like the colors (they’re green!) and I would like to see how they perform on lid!
I did a little comparison lining up all my greens next to the lighter shade (MAC Humid, MAC Sumptuous Olive, Urban Decay Mildew), and the right-column crease shade of Wet n’ Wild Comfort Zone next to the darker one:
I would say the lighter shade of Gunmetal is a blackened cross between Humid and Mildew. Next to the right-column crease shade of Comfort Zone, you can see the grayish greenish quality of the darker shade better. Also, the Wet n’ Wild shade is not nearly as sparkly.
Finally, I have saved the best for last with 806 Gilded!
The lighter side of this duo is a wow. It is a metallic true gold. Despite the fact that these duos bear the word “metallic” in their names, not many shades come out as metallic as this one. The texture buttery soft, and color pay-off more than amazing. If you put a little more pressure on your finger, the shade almost “melts.” Yup, that’s how buttery it is! For me personally, just this side makes the duo “worth it.” The darker side is a little less “deceptive” in this case. It is a grayish black with gold glitter, and it is what you get on your skin. Again, the texture is pretty stiff, and you have to work a bit for it to show up nicely. Something else that worries me a little is that I can already tell there will be some fallout. I’m just keeping my fingers crossed that it isn’t too bad!
Again, I did a little comparison for you. I swatched Urban Decay Half Baked next to the lighter shade, and Urban Decay Creep next to the darker one.
Next to such a true gold like this, Half Baked looks surprisingly bronzy, almost orange! I love doing comparison swatches for you guys also because I learn so much from doing them. Half Baked is one of my all-time favorite eyeshadows, and I have used it so many times that I thought I knew it very well. Next to this shade however, I have seen a different side of it! Creep is considerably cooler than the darker shade of Gilded, and the sparkly bits almost don’t come out next to its much more glittery counterpart.
Finally, I did a happy family reunion shot of all of my metallic duos! From left to right: Electrified, Sculpted, Gunmetal, and Gilded. This is the first time I used flash, because we really haven’t had a lot of natural light here, and I kept getting blurry pictures! I did make sure the colors are accurate though.
Bottom line: Despite the fact that I wouldn’t rave about the HiP Metallic Duos as a 10/10 product, some of them are definitely worth looking into. My personal recommendations are Electrified and Gilded, because the lighter shades of both are true to the word “metallic” in their names. Sculpted is nice to have especially if you like plummy pink. I can see how Gunmetal wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but from playing around with it myself, I can say it is more phenomenal in person than a lot of the swatch pictures you can find online. It would be good for a more understated green-themed smokey eye, especially if you have something else from the green family to add some pop!
Phew, that is one very dense post! I will definitely do FOTDs soon with these duos, especially with the upcoming holiday celebrations. Please stay tuned if you want to see how they do on lid! Don’t be shy if you have any questions regarding these duos!
So what do you think? Would you be picking any of them up? Do you like metallic shadows in general?
Stay tuned and stick around, folks!
Humid, oh Humid, though I don’t use you often enough, you remain one of my most priced possessions. Whenever I see you my heart melts a little, and my mood brightens!
MAC Humid is described to be an “intense green with shimmer” by the MAC website. To me however, it’s a deep forest green with a beautiful golden sheen. While it is slightly shimmery, the shimmer is rather subtle. Also, don’t cringe just because MAC categorizes this as “frost.” I think it’s a bit misleading because it is by no means a frosty eyeshadow. The pigmentation and texture are up there with MAC’s best eyeshadows. Please bear in mind that it’s a major compliment when I say it, since some MAC shadows do fall short for me.
Both Christine from Temptalia (7 Ways to Wear Humid Eyeshadow) and Karen from Makeupandbeautyblog (MAC Unsung Heroes: Humid Eyeshadow) have shared how you can take advantage of this fantastic shade. If you want to give this beauty the love it deserves, I suggest you check those posts out!
I have personally used it in two ways. First: I have used it to smudge out the liner on my lower lash line when I wear Sumptuous Olive on my lid. It’s such a vibrant green and it really pops! You can definitely do it when you wear warm neutrals as well, since the golden sheen will play well with that. Second, I have used a bit of black base (I use Urban Decay Zero) on my lid, blended it out with my finger (so that you can barely see the black when your eyes are open), and added a bit more to my lash line. I then pat Humid on before blending a neutral shade in my crease. You can go natural by using a matte shade (like Buck from the Naked Palette), or play up the gold by using for example Smog. It’s barely a smokey eye, but it is an interesting way of wearing a bit more color without being “in-your-face.”
Do you have Humid? Do you want it? How would you wear it? Please share!
MOSTLY SUNNY 