Face of the Day
By the Muse on March 28, 2008
Shiseido has quite a few different brands available exclusive to the Japanese market one of which is Maquillage. I know I’ve mentioned that before and many of you already know it as you’re as passionate about Japanese Cosmetics as I am however I thought it deserved a remention in my introduction because I have quite a flow of newer readers visiting with me lately and I thought that’d be a nice little way to introduce this review plus give them a little info about the brand.
Maquillage is not my favorite brand in the Shiseido line (I’m sure you can guess which my favorite is…go on comment and tell me!). For me Maquillage is a hit or miss sadly. Some products are really good and some aren’t so great. The price range is lovely, the packaging is fabulous, but the actual products are sometimes too sheer or not particularly the best quality in the world. I’m not that big a fan of the shadow compacts, the liners, or the glosses. However, I do give a better portion of my money to Maquillage on a rare occasion!
Today I’m reviewing Watery Crash Eyes from Maquillage. I don’t follow Maquillage as much as I do other Japanese brands so when something new is released I know of it but not when it was released so I’m unsure which collection these are from.
A very sweet friend of mine did some personal shopping for me in Tokyo last week and she picked up Watery Crash Eyes as a request from me. Sadly, I’m not quite so into it. The lemming for this came from the fact that it reminded me of Chanel’s Ombre D’eau Fluid Eyeshadow but the Maquillage price is much more affordable. The color selection isn’t vast by any means and this particular product is only offered in 5 colors. I got the PK213 which is a beautiful baby pink color.
Now I can’t fairly give this a poor review. The reason for that is the product is actually good and the problem is that I’m just too bloody picky with cosmetics.
The texture and formula is wonderful as it blends a real treat however a few things I don’t like about it are the finish which is more of a shine than a shimmer if that makes sense, I’m also not loving how much I need to use to get color onto my lid as this is very sheer, and finally I’m just not enjoying the total look it created for me.
As I was saying it blends very well, just dot and smooth on. The texture is thick and creamy. All and all I see no problem with the formula however it’s lack of shimmer kind of disappointed me. I should mention that I’m not a fan of cream shadows and honestly the main reason I had purchased this was because it not only reminded me of the Chanel but also Visee’s Aqua Shining Eyes so I was kinda hopeful this would be as good a quality as both of those.
The product is sheer so you have to do at least three layers to get some color onto your lid. One layer will not do much of anything. I noticed that it doesn’t dry fast either which is a good thing because if you mess up while blending you can easily go back and smooth your finger around a bit more without worrying about it being dry and messing the entire look up. This is particularly nice as well when you’re layering the color because you’re not packing color onto an already “dry” look.
My final look when I was done layering and blending wasn’t exactly great. No pop sadly. But as I said I can’t give it a bad review because the formula is very good (especially the fact it stays wet so long before setting which makes for ease of application). I’m just a nitpicker because I enjoy a bit more shimmer and the look I achieved was more of a shiny, neutral look!
If you enjoy simplicity without shimmer or pop this might very well be something you’d enjoy using. For myself I’m not loving it at the moment but I’m going to continue using it to see how I feel after a few weeks!
Here’s what I created using Watery Clash Eyes:
Here’s what I used:
Eyes:
Maquillage Watery Clash Eyes in PK213
Visee Mascara
Lips
Bobbi Brown Lip and Cheek Rouge in Pink Raspberry
Bobbi Brown Lipgloss in Pink Popsicle
Cheeks:
Bare Minerals Blush in Fruit Cocktail
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By the Muse on March 27, 2008
I was tempted again by the evil Beauty on a Budget brands that can be found in my local drugstore….go firgure.
My little mate Mandy from Mandy’s Beauty Blog was bragging about Terra eyeshadows in a recent post of mine and of course I got to thinking that I need to recheck these out. The reason I say “recheck” them is because I had previously seen these in my local drugstore and even swatched them but me being the snob I am I skipped and didn’t bother buying any!
Of course, when I went back my mentality had changed slightly and I was open to the suggestion that maybe these could be good. Lucky for me I kept that frame of mind because I walked out of the store toting eight shades in a little plastic bag with a goofy smile on my lips over my latest haul.
These are great, thanks Mandy!
I know many of you piss, moan, and bitch something fierce about baked eyesahdows. I personally don’t mind an occasional baked eyeshadow. They spice up my life a little bit and they are different and interesting however I do agree with some of you to an extent about the lack of pigmentation.
These shadows I am about to show you are baked eyeshadows however they are alot different then what you’re used to with your normal variety range of baked eyeshadows!
These are entitled Terra Eyeshadows and yes I googled plenty for you but I see nothing about these anywhere. No website, no listing, nada. The back says “Made in Italy” but soon after it displays a Miami address…I dunno.
The good news is these are fantastic. The pigmentation, for a baked eyeshadow, is brilliant. They are loaded with color, blend easily, and have just a touch of shimmer that’s not to overkill for my sparkle/shimmer haters out there.
The shadow itself is very silky and smooth and it blends very well for a baked eyeshadow as I normally find baked shadows here in the US a bit hard in texture if that makes sense and not as silky as what I’ve tried abroad.
Prices vary from shop to shop but they aren’t too expensive at $7.49 USD or so per a pot. I’ve seen them in a few drugstores for different price ranges but no higher then $8.99 USD. For what it’s worth that’s somewhat high for one eyeshadow purchased in a cheesy drugstore in the United States however they are good and you know when I say something is good I sincerely mean that from the bottom of my little heart.
The first time I noticed these as I had mentioned early on in this post was when the line had single eyeshadows only. They now have duo eyeshadows as well which I love since the color combinations are flattering and do work well together. The entire line is really tiny it consists of about twelve or so eyeshadows and a few bronzer type blushers and that’s it.
As I mentioned I ended up with eight of the eyeshadows total.
I’ve seen these in two locations so far. Harmon’s Beauty Store and Duane Reade. As I recall they were cheaper in Harmon’s so hit up there first prior to heading to Duane Reade for the best price. To find them don’t look in the main cosmetic aisle you have to swing yourself around and they are right next to the applicators, eye makeup removers, and cotton swabs and stuff. Right by the accessories you’ll see a tiny little display with these hanging out on it!
I did notice something that deserves a mention about these. I had to do some major prepping of my eye prior to applying as I noticed the first time I used one of the duos that it creased terribly. I blame that on my lack of prepping and my rushed application however I did a second look and the same thing happened so when using these you may need to spend a little extra time prepping your eye area well prior to application. My third time trying these I hit the nail on the head and got it right, no creasing and perfect wear and tear all day but I spent some time making sure I had a good surface on my eye prior to applying and my bit of hard work rewarded me with beautiful, eyepopping eyeshadow that lasted all day and into the night!
Without further babbling from me a few pictures of the Terra Eyeshadows I picked up!
Lime/Lemon
Turquoise Pearl
Water/Green
Emerald Pearl
Snow Gold Pearl
Beige Pearl
Midnight/Ice
Purple/Sky
My favorite of the bunch is Turquoise Pearl which is a beautiful aqua touched with some lovely blue and Snow Gold Pearl which is a lovely golden cream! All the colors are truly outstanding and the photos don’t do them justice!
Terra Eyeshadows are most definately Muse Approved for purchasing! I’m loving these at the moment!
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By the Muse on March 25, 2008
I’ve gotten alot of comments mentioning KATE as not being pigmented enough or not the best quality, etc…
This made me want to do a review of my own on KATE because it’s one of my favorite Japanese Brands and I think the quality is fantastic!
One of my favorite products in the KATE lineup are the Glamtrick palettes. They are sincerely some of the best quality palettes I’ve come across Japan side. The colors blend fantastically and the smoky eye looks you can create are truly fabulous.
KATE has an edge about it that other brands don’t and this reflects in the darker color selection available from KATE. In particular the Glamtrick palettes sport darker colors used to create very interesting smoky eye looks.
The Glamtrick palettes contain a total of five colors. One light shade of shadow, one dark contrasting shadow, one base, one liner, and a shimmering shade used over your completed look.
The palettes are at 1600 yen (about $16 USD) and in my personal opinion give alot of bang for your buck!
In order to create each look I used the lightest shade as a base on my entire lid, I proceeded to stroke the next medium shade from my lid to my crease, after this I packed on the darkest in my crease and on half of my top eye lid. To complete my look I lined my bottom and lower lash line with the shadow liner and dusted on a bit of the sparkling/shimmer shadow on top of the entire look and Bob’s your uncle the perfect smoky look!
Created Using BU-1
Created Using GD-1
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Created Using BR-1
Created Using GN-1
Created Using BK-1
KATE has an entire line of various palettes but I thought I’d share the Glamtrick ones with you as they are my favorite in the line! The palettes make creating what I called a “colored” smoky eye look goof proof and they take the smoky look to a new level with interesting shades instead of your standard gray/black look.
KATE’s Glamtrick palettes are most definately Muse Approved for their inexpensive cost, quality and pigmentation, and ease of use!
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By the Muse on March 20, 2008
I was muddling around with Heatherette this morning and I slapped together a rather quickie FOTD that came out absolutely awful!
But…at least you can kinda see some of the colors together!
I’m not sure if the problem was with my lack of blending skills this morning or the fact that the colors are so difficult to work together with!
What I Used:
Eyes
MAC Heatherette Trio 2
MJ Mascara
MAC Duo Eyeliner in Phone Me/Text Me (Heatherette)
Lips
MAC Lipstick in Hollywood Nights (Heatherette)
Ettusais Lipgloss
Cheeks
Jillian Dempsey for Avon Horizon Blush in Pink Horizon
By the Muse on March 18, 2008
A few months ago I had purchased the Bare Minerals bareGold Pure Luxury Gold Collection from QVC. The kit came with an Autoship option for those not in the know that simply meant that they’d send me a kit every few months that was similar in style to the bareGold Collection but with a different color selection. In total it’s four kits that I’ll be getting and so far I’ve gotten two which are the bareGold and now the bareDiamond.
bareDiamond for me is a total disappointment. There isn’t anything redeeming in the kit aside from maybe the blush and brushes?!
Where as bareGold had some very lovely golds and browns bareDiamond sports lighter shades for the Spring but the colors are completely off to me.
The kit included:
Diamond Gossamer Powder
Eyeshadow in Clarity
Glimmer in Marquise
Liner Shadow in Bronze Leaf
Blush in Hint
Mineral Veil
Lipstick in Gelato
Angled Face Brush
Soft Focus Eyeshadow Brush
Eyeliner Brush
Vanity Box
First off the Diamond Gossamer is an absolute disappointment as I already have it from the Bare Escentuals Classic Rock Collection. It’s a fantastic gossamer to have and I absolutely love it but I didn’t need a second pot of this. However, somewhere in the back of my head I knew that one of the kits included a gossamer I already had so no problems I can swap or sell it off!
The eyeshadow in Clarity is a nice enough color I guess but it’s a bit blah for someone that enjoys bold shades. It’s a pale blue, slightly iridescent shade that can be used as a base, highlighter, or all over wash of color. Formula is fantastic as always with Bare Minerals however for some odd reason I had a bit of a difficult time blending this well and the look I created with it today just came out rubbish!
Clarity Eyeshadow
The glimmer in Marquise is equally awful. The color is just blah, blah, blah. It’s a dirty chrome gray mix up that doesn’t do anything for me. Again I had a difficult time blending this for some reason hmmm…I see a pattern developing here!
Marquise Glimmer
The liner shadow in Gold Leaf has some redeeming qualities. It’s a brown bronze with little sparks of gold and purple that are quite lovely however it really left me feeling un-Spring like! Bronze now? It’s Spring!
Gold Leaf Liner
Now you’re supposed to take all three of these, combine them, and come up with some gorgeous Spring look. Um no. Don’t think so.
I created mud with a bit of light blue thrown in for good measure. Actually the effect came out somewhat like the Lavshuca FOTD I did using the Aqua Noble On Palette (Click to view the FOTD).
The general idea is you apply Clarity as a base all over your eye, follow up with Marquise on the lid, and line with Gold Leaf and your finished look equals mud more or less with a bit of blue thrown in! The above FOTD was created using everything in the kit aside from the lipstick. I threw some Jill Stuart gloss on instead of the lippie that was included with the kit if you were curious what was on my lips!
I don’t know who’s bright idea it was to match up browns and beiges with lighter blues but I’m here to tell you it doesn’t WORK! Bloody hell it looks awful! STOP doing palettes and kits with blue and brown it doesn’t work I SAY (at least for me it doesn’t!).
Moving on….
The blush is actually redeemable after all the drama with the shadows and liners in the kit. I sort of liked it. It’s a dusky rose color and although it’s very subdued for me it does create a very natural, elegant look. I actually do like this and it will work well in taming down my wilder looks! Yay! One product that I actually like!
Blush in Hint
The lipstick is another blah for me. The color is rose but it has some peach in it as well! I actually didn’t even bother swiping or using it since it was so unappealing. Another one for the swap/sale bin!
Finally the brushes were pretty good! The brushes are a bit different from the previous set aside from the large Soft Focus Brush. I already have this brush from the previous sets so that’s another for the swap bin! However, the Soft Focus Eyeshadow Brush is very nice. No shedding on this and it’s very soft and works well for washing color onto the entire lid. I tried blending with it but it doesn’t work at that for that task. Overall, a good brush for general color washing but not blending or packing color on. The other brush is a slim liner brush which is also very good. It’s a thin tip brush and it works well with the liner shadow the kit came with! The brushes are different from the bareGold aside from the Soft Focus Brush which is great as I don’t have dupes now.
Overall, the Collection is a bust for me. The colors are way too weird and mixed up to create a good look, many of the items are duplicates I already have, and I just found the shadows and glimmer difficult to blend for some reason or another.
If you’re still lemming this after my poor review you can call QVC direct (this isn’t available online for purchase) and use item number A77475 to order yourself one!
The Muse gives this a big thumbs down for purchase! Waste of money, don’t bother. The good news is if you’re really loving any of this I’ll be putting up a Spring Sale page very soon so most of this will be thrown on that page for sale! Yay!
Click here to read about my first impressions of the bareGold Collection I purchased!
Click here to read about the contents, price, and autoship feature on the bareGold Collection!
Click here to read about the Bare Escentuals Classic Rock Collection!
Click here to read the review for the Bare Escentuals Platinum Collection!
By the Muse on March 11, 2008
A few weeks ago I had laid my hands on some of the Vincent Longo C_Scope Collection. I was pretty impressed with the Lip Vinyl I got in Fellini Red. You can
click here to read my original post and review about the collection!
A few of you had asked for an FOTD of me wearing it so you can see the color on! Here it is!
It’s quite eye popping and bright but I adore it! Such a vibrant, bold red! I’m not normally one for red but this is beautiful just beautiful!
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