Beauty Products Reviews

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Estee Lauder Cosmic Shadow Paint Review, Photos, Swatches

Estee Lauder Cosmic Shadow Paint

A Cosmic Explosion of Sparkle

Estee Lauder Cosmic Shadow Paint is a warm, reddened copper brown with pink and bronze sparkle. MAC Ever Elegant is slightly less red-toned and is a powder product. Estee Lauder Violet Underground #2 is very similar in color but has no sparkle. Tom Ford Illicit is less red-toned. Make Up For Ever #14 is browner.

This is one of the sparkly shades from the launch, so the texture is a bit different. It doesn’t, initially, feel any different; as it is still rather creamy and thin, but it dries down to a slightly gritty finish. It doesn’t apply as evenly as the other shades; there’s a noticeable texture and unevenness on the lid. The worst, though, was the continual fall out over the twelve-hours that I tested Cosmic for! The color didn’t crease, but it did seem a little faded and had definite fall out issues. It has a really lovely sparkling finish, but that pretty finish is the problem, as it makes yields uneven color payoff and tons of fall out!

THE GLOSSOVER

It has a really lovely sparkling finish, but that pretty finish is the problem, as it makes yields uneven color payoff and tons of fall out!

MAC Antique Diamond Pro Longwear Paint Pot Review, Photos, Swatches

MAC Antique Diamond Pro Longwear Paint Pot

MAC Antique Diamond Pro Longwear Paint Pot is described as a “frosted olive silver.” It’s an olive green-tinged brown with a general mutedness and a sprinkling of silver sparkle. MAC Enviable is darker and a powder product. Dior Khaki Design #3 is greener, less metallic, and a powder product. MAC Cakeshop is greener.Benefit Skinny Jeans is very, very similar–it has a more satiny finish than a metallic one (and for the record, Birthday Suit is less green-tinged).

I decided to review each of the shades separately, because the quality varies from shade to shade, and since these are permanent, then it is definitely worth doing to make them easily searched for and read about in the future. I think one of the more frustrating characteristics about any product formula is when it is inconsistent, because then you can’t count on one shade being as good as the first one you tried (or that they’re all as bad as the first you tried).

The Pro Longwear Paint Pot formula is supposed to be “long-wearing,” “highly-pigmented,” and also “[blend] smoothly over the lids.” Where Antique Diamond excels is in overall wear; once it sets, however it does, it stays put and doesn’t fade or have any fall out problems for the next twelve hours. Where it falls short is in its opacity and buildability in color, because when I tried to apply it to the inner half of my lid, it was uneven and a bit patchy. I tried using MAC’s own 242 and 249 for application, as well as using a fluffy brush (217) and my fingertip to try to blend out the color so it would at least be even, if it wasn’t opaque. It has a thin, lightweight consistency that feels creamy and smooth, but it didn’t quite apply that way.

Antique Diamond is the kind of color that works well as a one-and-done color that’s more than just beige. It can also be used to smoke out the lash line or as a base for a smoky eye. However, the way this applies, dries down, and generally sits on the lid, it’s not fantastic. I’d heartily recommend Benefit Skinny Jeans, which has a superior formula and is very comparable in color to this one.

FYI: the ingredient list for the Pro Longwear Paint Pots is the same as for the regular Paint Pots when I compared against the list for Bare Study/Constructivist! It’s off by one ingredient when compared to the Paint Pots from Posh Paradise.

THE GLOSSOVER

Antique Diamond is the kind of color that works well as a one-and-done color that's more than just beige. It can also be used to smoke out the lash line or as a base for a smoky eye. However, the way this applies, dries down, and generally sits on the lid, it's not fantastic. I'd heartily recommend Benefit Skinny Jeans, which has a superior formula and is very comparable in color to this one.

MAC Blackground Pro Longwear Paint Pot Review, Photos, Swatches

MAC Blackground Pro Longwear Paint Pot

MAC Blackground Pro Longwear Paint Pot is described as a “black grey with multicolour.” It’s a soft, medium black with brow undertones and a very soft smattering of silver shimmer. Urban Decay Spell has more multi-colored shimmer and is a powder product. NARS Empire is similar in color and is also a cream product.MAC Backlit is less warm-toned and has multi-colored shimmer.

The Pro Longwear Paint Pot formula is supposed to be “long-wearing,” “highly-pigmented,” and also “[blend] smoothly over the lids.” For a cream eyeshadow in black, it applies better than many do; it’s not fully opaque, and it has a tendency to look grayer on the lid than when swatched as a result of the slight translucency. While it doesn’t apply solidly, it does apply fairly evenly overall. It didn’t crease or fade during the twelve-hours I wore it for, so it can be worn alone or used as an eyeshadow base. The consistency if Blackground was creamy and smoother, finer in a way, compared to some of the other shades. Because it didn’t have sparkle, there was also no problems with fall out.

THE GLOSSOVER

I like Blackground, but when it comes to black cream eyeshadows from MAC, MAC's own Blacktrack is still my go-to. It's more intense, though, so if you prefer a softer black this would be a better choice.

MAC Chilled on Ice Pro Longwear Paint Pot Review, Photos, Swatches

MAC Chilled on Ice Pro Longwear Paint Pot

MAC Chilled on Ice Pro Longwear Paint Pot is described as a “frosted white gold.” It’s a pale peach with a bright golden shimmer-sheen. At certain angles, it almost looks cool-toned. Shades like Maybelline Barely Branded and Estee Lauder Halo both have a warm, golden kind of coloring, but they don’t have the same sheen or base color. Make Up For Ever #101 is the closest dupe I could think of, but it is a powder product, and it is not as metallic.

I reviewed it when it originally came out here, when it was just a regular ol’ Paint Pot. Though the formula is touted as highly-pigmented, Chilled on Ice is semi-opaque even when heavily layered. It has a creamy consistency, but it just sucks and clings to the lids and creates creases and lines in a way that only incredibly dry, frosted finishes can do. The texture looks gritty on, and there was some residual fall out during wear, even though it stayed put for twelve hours overall. There seemed to be some sparkle-gathering in the creases just ever-so-slightly. Whenever I wear the really sparkly Paint Pots, my eyes seem somewhat irritated after six hours or so, and my feeling is that it’s the result of the sparkles getting into my eyes.

THE GLOSSOVER

It's not a very buildable color, so it never reaches that "highly-pigmented" claim MAC makes. I also experienced fall out during wear and some slight creasing.

MAC Dangerous Cuvee Pro Longwear Paint Pot Review, Photos, Swatches

MAC Dangerous Cuvee Pro Longwear Paint Pot

MAC Dangerous Cuvee Pro Longwear Paint Pot is described as a “frosted cool grey.” It’s a muted mauve with a frosted, metallic finish and a gray cast. IfMaybelline Tough as Taupe wasn’t a matte, I think they’d be similar, but Dangerous Cuvee has a ton of shimmer in comparison, so it looks lighter as well. Too Faced Framboise is purpler and a powder product. NARS 413 BLKR is less shimmery and a powder product.

It’s an interesting color, and even though it is a darker color, can still work as a single color worn on the lid–except for its dratted texture, which clings and bunches up and generally makes my eyelid look like a raisin. There is something about how this finish dries down that results in a very dried, frosted, and clingy look. I experience some mild fall out after eight hours, but it wasn’t too noticeable. It didn’t fade or really crease when checked by pulling my lid taut at the end of the twelve-hour test.

It is so weird, because to the touch, it has good slip and a creamy feel, just as you’d expect. The dry down was a wee bit longer than other Paint Pots but barely longer. When it’s set, there’s a very dry, almost flaky feel to it. It was semi-opaque when applied to the lid (I tried both the 242, which is promoted alongside the PLW Paint Pots, and the 217 to blend/soften). When I tried patting on the color with my fingertip, hardly any color would transfer.

FYI: the ingredient list for the Pro Longwear Paint Pots is the same as for the regular Paint Pots when I compared against the list for Constructivist! It’s off by one ingredient when compared to the Paint Pots from Posh Paradise.

THE GLOSSOVER

It is so weird, because to the touch, it has good slip and a creamy feel, just as you'd expect. When it's dry, though, it has a dry, flaky feel, and the way it looks, reflects that.

bareMinerals Seize the Day Eyeliner Set Review, Photos, Swatches

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bareMinerals Seize the Day Eyeliner Set

It’s Time to Seize the Day!

bareMinerals Seize the Day Round the Clock Eyeliner Set ($29.00 for 0.12 oz.) includes five shades: 10AM (golden sage), Noon (deep navy), 1PM (deep marine), 3PM(deep brown shimmer), and 5PM (deep plum). The formula is supposed to be smooth, bold, long-wearing, and waterproof.

10AM is an olive green with soft khaki shimmer. It had great pigmentation in a single go.
Noon is a shimmered navy blue with cool undertones. It had decent pigmentation in one pass.
1PM is a bluish-teal with a matte finish. It was intensely pigmented.
3PM is a warm, copper-shimmered medium-dark brown with orange undertones. It had so-so color payoff in a snigle pass but was buildable.
5PM is a blackened plum with subtle red-brown undertones. This shade was very pigmented.

5PM is full-sized at 0.04 oz., while the other four shades are half-sized at 0.02 oz. each. Overall, the pigmentation across the pencils was very good–several shades were fully opaque in one pass along the lash line, which isn’t always the case. Most eyeliners are buildable, but shades like 10AM, 1PM, and 5PM don’t need building at all. These have a very creamy consistency that enables them to glide across the lash line or lid without pulling, tugging, or skipping. I’d qualify this formula as one of the softest I’ve come across–which is great in many ways, except for sharpening, where they’re best sharpened after putting them in the freezer for a few minutes.

I did fret over the creaminess when I swatched them, because I feared smudgy, migrating wear, but I didn’t experience that at all. In fact, these wore incredibly well. I tested several shades across time periods as long as twelve hours, and since these are supposed to be waterproof, I did shower with them on, too. They wear and wear without smudging, fading, or migrating. Between this set and The Night Vision, I think this one is less dupable and is of better quality, due to the majority of the shades having great pigmentation.

THE GLOSSOVER

The consistency is incredibly creamy and soft, which can make sharpening more of a challenge than other pencils, but it does make getting more color in a single pass easier.

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bareMinerals Seize the Day Eyeliner Set

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bareMinerals Seize the Day Eyeliner Set – 5PM, 3PM, Noon, 10AM, 1PM

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bareMinerals 10AM Eyeliner

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bareMinerals Noon Eyeliner

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bareMinerals 1PM Eyeliner

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bareMinerals 3PM Eyeliner

bareMinerals 5PM Eyeliner

Make Up For Ever #8K Khol Pencil Review, Photos, Swatches

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Make Up For Ever #8K Khol Pencil

Make Up For Ever #8K Khol Pencil

Make Up For Ever #8K Khol Pencil is described as a “navy blue sheen.” It’s not navy blue; it’s a blackened violet purple with blue micro-shimmer. I couldn’t think of a dupe within the purple eyeliners that came to mind. The color payoff was good but not as intense as other shades I’ve tried in this formula. Though, to put things into context, this is one of the better pigmented purple eyeliners, which are notorious, as a group and across brands and price points, to have mediocre payoff. It also has a drier texture, even compared to #4K.

It’s just slightly creamy, so it does not apply quite as easily as the two other shades I’ve reviewed. I felt like this one needed more than one pass to really deliver opaque color. When I trialed this particular hue, it wore for five hours on the lower water line and eight hours on the lash line on its own. I did, also, set the lower water line with powder (as per Make Up For Ever’s recommendation for “long-lasting” results), which allowed the product to stay on for six hours on the lower water line.

THE GLOSSOVER

If you're looking for a waterline-approved eyeliner, you might want to consider Make Up For Ever's Khol Pencils! They deliver excellent color payoff and have a great creaminess that helps them apply easily to the lash line.

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Make Up For Ever #8K Khol Pencil

Make Up For Ever #8K Khol Pencil