Why use neutral eyeshadow?

Paris B 23 Comments

I received an Isetan mailer recently which had pictures of the new Bobbi Brown Nude eye and lip palette (RM210). I also saw the palette in person last week and the shadows were 4 similar colored nude or neutral eyeshadows. It reminded me of a question I used to ask before – Why would anyone want to use neutral eyeshadow or eyeshadows that look nude? Isn’t the purpose of eyeshadow having colour on the eyes?

nude eyeshadows
Clockwise from bottom left: Bourjois Brun Irrel, Bourjois Beige Rose, MAC Coco pigment, MAC Naked Pigment,
Shu Uemura ME Silver 945, Stila Kitten, Wheat, Oasis, Sun

I’ve since worked out the answer for myself. There are some days or some occasions when having other colours on your eyes won’t do. Examples are strict work places or serious events or even just when you want to be taken seriously like if you have to attend meetings or meet new customers or clients or business partners. If you are in a serious sort of job, having beautifully made up eyes with coloured eyeshadow just won’t do because people just don’t take you seriously otherwise (unfortunate but true). (Read more after the jump) Continue Reading

Review: Makeup: Shu Uemura Glow On Blush

Paris B 10 Comments

While looking back at my product reviews, I realised I had not reviewed what used to be one of my favourite blushes – the Shu Uemura Glow On blush.

Clockwise from left : M Pink 33E, M Amber 83, P Peach 40, P Purple OB5

My lighting is a little off in the picture above. The Amber and Peach shades look much peachier in real life than orange.

Texture wise Shu Uemura Glow Ons are awesome. They are very finely milled and go on very smoothly. There are 2 textures available – M – Matt and P – Pearl (shimmer). What is nice about Shu Uemura is that the shimmer isn’t over the top but is very subtle so you never end up looking like a disco-ball.

In terms of colour, Shu Uemura is par exellance. Color selection is wide and you can literally, find any colour to suit your skin tone. Colours range from red to pink, from orange to peach and every other colour in between. If you have trouble finding a blush colour to suit you, try Shu Uemura.

The colour pigment is also very good. Those with very fair skin have complained that pigment is so good that they have to use a very light hand with Shu Uemura Glow On blushes. I am fair as Asian skintones go, and I find that whilst color pigment is good, it isn’t as strong as say, Nars. So, I never have to fear over doing my blush when using Shu Uemura Glow Ons, as I do with Nars. The staying power is also very good with it lasting all day without fading.

I do have 2 gripes with the product though. One is the packaging. Shu Uemura uses these plastic clear cases that have a nice zen look to them, but fail miserably in terms of the blushes. Most of the clasps don’t work after a while so it ends up very loose. The blushes are made so they can be depotted or removed from the packaging easily (as with all Japanese makeup). There is a hole at the back by the label where you can poke a pin through to remove the pan and then place the pan in a palette. Shu Uemura does sell palettes for this purposes but they are expensive.

My second gripe is that the surface of the blush has a tendency to harden after a spell. I did not notice this initially when I was using it a lot, but after a spell of not using these blushes, I realised that the surface texture was different. A quick brush with an old toothbrush or a hard rub with some tissue paper solves the problem though.

My favourite blush of all I have is M Amber 83. It is a matt amber shade that sounds scary but isn’t. Its like Nars Amour – a very neutral shade that makes me look like I don’t have blush on, but just a nice healthy glow. Very pretty.

Shu Uemura blushes are definitely worth checking out. They used to retail for RM75 (US$23.51) but I’ve stopped going to the Shu Uemura counter now so I’m not sure of the current price. Perhaps a reader could update? 🙂

Pros: Good colour selection, Pigmented, Long lasting

Cons: Packaging sucks, the surface of the blush hardens over time

[rating:4/5]

Budget Makeup: I only have RM200 for makeup – Part 2

Paris B 7 Comments

In Part 1 of my Budget Makeup recommendations, I talked about budget foundations and blushes that don’t cost an arm and a leg and still do what they are supposed to do – help make you look beautiful.

In Part 2 I will do the rest of the face – eyeshadows, lipsticks and miscellaneous items.

For budget eyeshadow here are my personal preferences:

budget eyeshadowContinue Reading

Review: Makeup: Shu Uemura Hard Formula eyebrow pencil

Paris B 8 Comments

My sister was using this eyebrow pencil before I did, and she used to tell me how quick and easy it was for her to get natural looking brows. So, I picked up one to try.

Shu Uemura Hard Formula eyebrow pencil

The Shu Uemura Hard Formula eyebrow pencil is an eyebrow pencil, just like others. However, what makes it rather unique is that if you were to draw it on your hand there isn’t much colour payoff. Most people have discounted it because of this, as they felt that it wouldn’t do anything for their brows.

However, try drawing directly on your brows and you’ll notice that there is colour payoff after all. The colour grabs onto the hairs of your brows and adds colour and volume. As it doesn’t show up much on the skin, it looks more natural than if it were just drawn directly on the skin. Also because its not drawn on the skin, I find that stays on a long time, even until the end of the day, without budging much.

The colours available are also quite good. The browns are very natural and don’t look garish. Unless you have very dark hair, you might not want to go for a black pencil, as it would look too stark.

This pencil can be sharpened just like a normal pencil, with a sharpener. However, I take mine to the Shu Uemura counter to get the sales assistants to sharpen it for me. Its a service they provide for free. What they do is use a pen-knife and sharpen it to a broad flat shape. I find it makes it easier to draw and I’m less likely to make mistakes that result in stiff unnatural looking brows. You could probably do it at home yourself, but I dare not. I’ll try to take a picture to show what I mean soon.

It retails for about RM50 or so at all Shu Uemura counters. Pretty steep pricing for an eyebrow pencil but it will last you a long long time.

Pros: Long lasting, Easy to use

Cons: Rather pricey

[rating:4/5]

 

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