Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Intense Gives You Eyes So Sexy that They can Kill– #3 #14 Swatch, Review, FOTDs

Is it me or does everybody associate the name of Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill with a spy/police detective/Quentin Tarantino movie?

Just me?

OK.

But I’m sure I’m not the only person who is exhilarated about Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Intense Eyeshadows!

After witnessing all the hype, I finally jumped on the bandwagon and purchased #3 and #14. These are known by numbers instead of names here (or rather by different names. The names I found on Sephora.fr is Ultra Violet for #3, and Or/Noir which means Gold/Black for #14) but in the US #3 is named Purpura and #14 Gold Spirit. And guess what? Even with some tiny hiccups, I can’t get enough of them!

Swatch & Review: Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden + Comparison with the Original Primer Potion

Hello everybody! Aren’t you happy it’s Wednesday? Before you know it, the week is already halfway through! I hope your week has been a breeze!

I received a sample of Primer Potion in Eden with an Urban Decay order quite a while ago, and I’ve been meaning to try it out. I finally did the other day when I was wearing glasses (if you read on you’ll know why it turned out to be a lucky decision), so I’m going to share my experience as well as some swatches. I’m also including comparison swatches with the original Primer Potion so you can see how they are different.

As you can see in the swatch photo (a heavy swatch on the left and sheered out on the right), Eden is yellowish. It is almost the color you would expect from a foundation. For my NC30 skin, even when it is sheered out, it is visibly lighter than my skin tone. I personally use eyeshadow primers on my lids, all the way to my brow bones, in my inner corners, and on my lower lash line. With Eden, it is pretty obvious that the skin around my eyes is lighter than the rest of my face, and it doesn’t look natural at all. It was a lucky coincidence that I decided to wear my glasses that day. My glasses are photochromic (they become darker in the sun), so they normally have a slight gray tint and tend to make my eye area a little darker, which Eden balanced out. I would not have gone out of the door with Eden on my eyelids otherwise.

The texture of Eden is pretty thick, and it takes some effort to smooth it out. I also found the texture a bit dry, and it could look cakey if you are not careful. The back of the sample claims Eden can “replace your brow bone highlighter entirely”, but there is a difference between a lighter skin tone and the glow that I want from a brow bone highlighter. Unfortunately Eden doesn’t belong to the latter. It also claims to provide “matte, neutral-hued coverage” when worn alone. While it functions as a concealer, I find the color ashen, dull, and doesn’t match my skin tone. I am also not a fan of having to rub it so hard because the texture is dry. On top of that, the mascara on my lower lashes smudged after several hours, and that was disappointing.

In terms of a primer, I find the performance equal to the original. I only tried it once and not over very long hours, but from my experience my eyeshadows didn’t crease.

In this photo, you can see the comparison between Eden (on the left) and Original (on the right). I swatched Buck, Half Baked, Sin, and Naked from the Naked Palette for demonstration. I would say that Eden makes eyeshadows more intense, especially the matte ones. However, it also somehow changes the colors a little. I experienced that with Sin, which takes on a grayish tinge over Eden, and I wasn’t particularly keen on that.

Bottom line: If you normally use a base (say MAC Soft Ochre), you might find a replacement in Eden. However, for the majority of us, Eden is not going to suit our skin tone to a T. If you are looking for something that you can use all over your eyes, Eden might not be your thing. Also, texture-wise I find Eden a flop. Nobody should have to tug on their delicate eye area just to smooth a primer out!

What do you think? What is your favorite eyeshadow primer/base? Have you tried any of the Urban Decay primers? Which is your favorite?

Sunny xx

FOTD: Glittery Darkhorse and (Accidental) Dramatic Liner with Urban Decay Naked Palette

If you get to know me a little better, you’ll know that I am always running late. Doesn’t matter where I have to be or when I have to be there, I am most probably running late.

The same thing happened when I was supposed to meet HM in Brussels yesterday. She was estimated to get there at 9, so I was supposed to be out of my door at around 8:20. However, it was almost 8 when I was out of the shower with my hair blown dry, so I knew I was going to be late… In that case, all the new things I planned to try on my face had to wait. Instead, I opted for a look I have done a couple of times before but one that I dearly love.

For the list of products I used and more photos, please keep reading!

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 Sidecar from the Naked Palette on the inner half of my lids, and Darkhorse on the outer half. I used Virgin to highlight my inner corners, and Bobbi Brown Bone to highlight my brow bones.
For my lower lash line, I used Urban Decay Bourbon and Urban Decay Darkhorse to smudge it out a bit.
Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Gel Eyeliner in Blackest Black for my upper lash line
Maybelline Magnum Volum’ Express Black (waterproof)
Tarte Exposed on cheek
MAC Harmony to contour my cheekbones
Burt’s Bees Replenishing Lip Balm with Pomegranate Oil on lips

I know I am this close to pronouncing my everlasting love for Darkhorse, because I incorporate it in a ton of looks that I do. Nevertheless, I have to bring your attention to the fact that it looks particularly hot with Sidecar. There are a lot of different looks that I like on myself, but a combination like Sidecar and Darkhorse is nothing short of mind-blowing and I am not even capable of telling you why! Admittedly Sidecar is not a standout shade from the Naked Palette. Compared with a lot of other shades it is not as insanely pigmented (don’t get me wrong because it IS pigmented. It’s just that I need maybe an extra swipe or two with my MAC 239), and it is the only one that has glittery fallout. Naturally, in my state of haste I completely forgot to hold a tissue over my face while I was using this shade, so by the time I was done there was a bit of glitter everywhere (I found a grain of glitter under my nose, if you can believe it). It was mostly cleared up after foundation and setting powder, but you can still see a bit around my eyes in the close-up pictures. I would suggest you use a patting motion with a shading brush when it comes to this shadow, hold a tissue under your eyes during application, and do your foundation afterwards. I would more than love to find a dupe for Sidecar sans glitter, but before that can happen I am willing to live with it.

Here are some close-up photos so you can see my eye makeup properly:

I call my more dramatic liner an accident because it really was an accident. You know what they say about haste making waste, and in my frantic hurry I drew the liner a bit farther out than I intended to. To balance it out, I had to repeat the same mistake on my other eye. I thought my eyes looked a bit rounder this way, which I was not so used to. However, HM really loved it, and by the end of the day I was convinced it isn’t a bad way to line my eyes at all!

Because my eyes were sparkly enough, I opted for a matte blush Exposed, and I contoured my face with MAC Harmony instead of bronzing it up with Bali Brown. I didn’t use any lipstick/gloss all day, so when I finally got around to taking pictures I just slathered some lip balm on. The Burt’s Bees Replenishing Lip Balm with Pomegranate Oil is definitely not my favorite lip balm because it disappears from my lips so fast, but since I bought it in a discount pack at Walgreens I’ll finish it. It is very slightly tinted but I doubt very much it changes the color of my lips in a detectable way, so what you see in these pictures are pretty much my natural lip color.

One more picture so you can see how much thicker my eyeliner was. You can also see my cheekbones are more sculpted with MAC Harmony. By the way, Tarte Exposed was faded after 12 hours when these pictures were finally taken, but it was definitely still there!

Last but not least, the Beautybay goodies that are supposed to be my Christmas present from Dr. D finally arrived last night! After I opened the packaging, Tango and Muffin swiftly proceeded to proclaiming their territory on the packaging material. In the picture below, Tango is sitting on the plastic wrapper while Muffin occupies the box. Tango’s tail is a blur because he was annoyed with Dr. D, who was trying to direct their attention to the camera by making some noise.

I will for sure review what I got soon! I just have to wait for better natural light to take my swatch pictures… Stay tuned and stay around folks!

Until then, I hope everybody is alive and kicking!

Sunny xx

Swatch & Review: Urban Decay Primer Potion (UDPP)

That’s the picture of UDPP in all the shapes/sizes I’ve owned. I got the first mini bottle with the Naked palette, and I couldn’t believe I had put on any eye makeup without it! I didn’t really have problems with creasing (being monolidded and all), but my eyeshadows did tend to disappear at the end of the day, and they wouldn’t show up as vibrant as what they look in the pan. I know there are different primers out there, but I’ve stuck to UDPP because it has done whatever a primer should do for me, and I also heard that it works better on oilier lids than for example Too Faced Shadow Insurance.

The texture of the product is just right. Once sheered out, it’s absolutely invisible (maybe there is some kind of sheen, but even in pretty bright light it’s barely discernible) and it doesn’t dry my eyelids out. On the picture above you can see how it looks straight from the bottle and to its right, how it looks sheered out (which means you see nothing). I’m exhilarated about how true-to-pan eyeshadows show on my lids with UDPP, and they stay put after hours and hours of wear! I don’t remember having my eyeshadows/liners fading on me ever with UDPP underneath them.

The old packaging is a PITA to work with, because you can’t squeeze all of it out without depotting it. The good thing is you don’t need a ton of this each time, so even the mini bottle lasted me for quite some time. I purchased the regular genie bottle at the end of last year (but only started using it not so long ago), and I’m happy to report UD has upped its game with the new packaging that makes sense (plus the sticker says “10% more primer,” and I’m a sucker for this kind of claims)! I know the regular genie bottle will last me forever (particularly if I manage to depot it), but I HAD to get a back-up because UD is NOT available here in Belgium (don’t ask me about how many women I see on a daily basis that have fading/creasing eyeshadows. It’s pretty much ALL of them). As long as you wear any eye makeup at all, I daresay you need a primer. If your lids aren’t very dry, then UDPP is a good bet. Now that the only pitfall of the product (packaging) has been eliminated, feel free to go out and grab one! 19 dollars might seem pricey, but I can guarantee you’ll have a lot of vibrant, long-lasting shadow fun!

PS: I have noticed that from the oldest bottle (the mini) which I’ve owned for over a year and haven’t managed to depot, some little chunks are visible when I put it on the back of my hand. Maybe it’s because the product has dried up a little over time. Even then however, when I sheered everything out, it was still nice and smooth. Apparently it doesn’t really affect usage, just for your information 🙂

My first FOTD, inspired by xteeener and Bun Bun

Voila, this is my first FOTD. It is inspired by both the day look of this xteeener video

Day to Night Makeup: Gilded for Fall

and Bun Bun’s tips on defining the outer v for Asian eyes

Eyeshadow Tutorial for Asian Eyes Part 3 – Defining the Outer V

Products used:

Urban Decay Primer Potion
Urban Decay Naked Palette: Half Baked, Naked, Creep
NYX Rock and Roll trio: the lightest shade
Bobbi Brown Bone
Maybelline Eyestudio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner in 950 Blackest Black
Maybelline Volum’ EXPRESS the Falsies in Blackest Black
MAC Cremeblend Blush in Tea Petal
Chanel Rouge Coco in Mademoiselle

Step by step:
First thing first: I primed my eyes with UDPP. I then used Urban Decay Half Baked on the first half of my lids before I added Naked to my “crease area” and blended it across my eye sockets. I added the first shade of my NYX Rock and Roll trio to my inner corners (believe me, highlighting your inner corners makes a difference, particularly when you’re monolidded. It really opens your eyes), and then I used a tiny bit of Creep in my outer V area. According to Bun Bun’s instructions, I should have picked a lighter color for my outer V. But then again I wanted a bit more drama, so I went ahead with Creep. I only barely dabbed my MAC 219 in the eyeshadow though, and I spent a lot of time blending. Once that’s done, I picked my MAC 217 back up and blended everything out again. I highlighted my brow bones with Bobbi Brown Bone. Since it’s an invisible shade I went along my brow bones instead of just the arch of my eyebrows. But then again my face is “flatter” so I need a bit more help. I lined my upper lashline with the Maybelline gel liner, using whatever is left on the brush for my lower lashline. I also smudged the lower lashline out with the tiny amount of Creep left on my MAC 219. For good measure I added 3 coats of mascara to my upper lashes and one to my lower lashes, because otherwise I have none!

I dabbed my finger (sorry, don’t have a stippling brush yet, but the upcoming US trip should solve that problem lol) in MAC Tea Petal and put it on the apples of my cheek. To be honest I prefer this to using a brush, just because when the SA at MAC did that for me on Monday, I ended up with more blush than what I’m used to. But then again she did two layers, so maybe that’s why. I also used a bit of the lightest shade of NYX Rock and Roll on the top of my cheekbones to enhance it another bit. My cheekbones are pretty high, but I like to play them up!

For my lips I used one layer of Mademoiselle. The color shows up funny on the picture though and I don’t know why (to be honest the colors in this picture is just weird)! In person it’s not at all shiny. It’s satin or even semi-matte. It’s also definitely not brownish!

Here’s another picture of my makeup after 8 hours, taken in my bathroom (lol). I only had my transparent lip balm on my lips, so you can compare with the morning picture to see what Mademoiselle does.

To be very honest I’m not entirely satisfied with how my eye makeup turned out. Maybe I should have used Darkhorse instead of Creep, maybe I didn’t define my outer V the right way, or maybe for my particular eye shape defining the outer V doesn’t do a lot. I will keep experimenting with it, but I still think it’s a bit weird to see the teeny tiny blended-out dark shadow at the outer corner of my eyes. But then again because of the complete lack of a crease, I always have to blend the edge of my eyeshadow out, including the lightest shade I use for the inner half of my eyes. Maybe that’s why? Hmm. Also, I almost never line my lower lashline with a gel liner. Since I did that today however, I decided to connect my upper and lower lashline at the outer corner. I thought gel liner is smudge-proof, but apparently NOT on the outer corner of my left eye. This is the interesting thing: if my eyeliner ever smudges on me, it’s always the outer corner of my left eye. It wasn’t bad though, and I was able to remove it with my finger. I guess even gel liner has its limits when it comes to monolidded eyes.

That’s it 🙂 Hope you enjoyed the pictures and do check xteeener and Bun Bun out!