Make Up - Circus Party

"She ran away but found herself in circles."

Products used:

Primer: Lime Crime Candy Eyed Primer
Eyeshadow: (Lime Crime) Empress, Troubadour, Abracadabra, Nymph
Eye Liner: Maybelline Line Definer Noir - Black Eyeliner
Mascara: Maybelline XXL Pro Extension 

This is an old look, which I made a few months ago. It was my first time using Lime Crime's loose eyeshadow and it was fun. I had no real plans with this style except that I want to experiment with quite a few colours. I got the name of this look from a good friend of mine who is also an avid make up lover. In fact, she helps me a lot with making decisions when it comes to make up and has introduced me to a few products. <3

L'OREAL Paris High Intensity Pigments (H.I.P.) - Metallic Shadow Duo - Electrified 510 Review

Cost (Aus): $19.95 or US $7.12 (online)

Packaging: This pallete comes in a circular hard plastic package and even boasts a compartment below which holds  a small brush for application. I really like this compartment because it is large enough to hold small earrings, a necklace or whatever small thing you may fancy - of course, remove the brush.

Pigmentation: As the name suggests, L'Oreal Paris' H.I.P. line is supposed to be 'high intensity'. I find that description quite misleading. While yes you could say the pigmentation is great because the colour you get when you apply the shadow is the same as that in the pallete, it lacks being as eye popping as say, Sugarpill, which does boast high pigmented colours and does provide what it says. I still like the colour combination of this duo eye shadow though.

Conclusion: I think the pricing for this product is quite steep considering you could buy a four colour pallete cheaper (see Maybelline New York Expert Wear Eyeshadow - Charcoal Smokes Review). However, I do enjoy the colour combination and it's great to use when I just want a more 'relaxed' and simple make up style.

Products used:

Primer: Lime Crime Candy Eyed Primer
Eyeshadow: (L'OREAL Paris H.I.P.) Electrified 510  
Mascara: Maybelline XXL Pro Extensions (Step 1 only),  Cool Betty Natural Fibre, Cool Betty Mascara

Sugarpill 4-Color Palette - Sweetheart Review

I made a review on Sugarpill's other palette Burning Heart. Please read that post as this product has a very similar quality. However, here I will demonstrate the Sweetheart palette using swatches of wet, dry and with primer

Conclusion: The brightness of the colours and the colours itself are fantastic! I love how they placed two cool colours of blue (Afterparty) and green (Midori) against the warm, bright pink (Dollipop) along with the white (Tako). This is definitely a palette that calls out for stand out creativity. Looking at this palette I don't feel like I just want to put make up on, I feel like I want to make an art piece.

Looking at the swatches, the colours do fairly well with out primer and look almost as though they have primer on when applied wet. At first I thought these pressed shadows were matte, but there are sparkles reflected on Afterparty and Midori.

(Per section from left to right:) Tako, Afterparty, Dollipop, Midori

Primer: Lime Crime Candy Eyed Primer

MAC Superslick Liquid Eyeliner Review

Cost (US): $17.50

Packaging: The MAC Superslick Liquid Eyeliner comes in a tube with a screwable top. The tip is made of a sponge-like material in a cone shape so you have more control on the type of lines you make. I find it really easy to use this to make either thick or thin lines.

Staying Power: Just like the Nyx Slide On Pencil, you have to wait for this to dry. They say it takes 15 seconds, I would wait one minute just to be safe and use a fan. Once dried, it doesn't move. I tried wiping this off with a wet tissue and it didn't work so you could safely swim with this on. Of course, you can't use this on you waterline.

Pigmentation: The black is strong and shiny.

Texture: Nice and light.

Conclusion: I really like this liner. It lasts all day and doesn't move. When I wear it I feel confident that I won't lose any pigmentation. You need to be patient with this eyeliner due to the long wait in drying, so if you're in a rush, just avoid this one.

 

 

Please note: The middle of the liner is showing a reflection of the light and not the liner fading

NYX Slide On Pencil - SL07 Jet Black Review

Cost (US): $8

Packaging: Nothing remarkable. It comes with a removable cap and is shaped like a typical liner.

If you purchase this in Australia online, it can cost $11.95 and at that price, I believe it's way too much to pay for a liner that is used up quickly. However, the quality of the liner is making the decision to not purchase this again very difficult because it's just so good. I currently use this as my back up liner when I absolutely need to.

Staying Power: Even without primer, the liner stays on pretty well, just make sure you wait for it to dry a bit before opening your eyes normally, other wise, (depending on how high you make the liner), it can smudge on the crease. When dry, if I rub my finger along the liner, it doesn't smudge it and only a very tiny bit of the liner rubs off.

You can even use this liner in the pool. I tested it by splashing water on my face and rubbing my finger along the liner like I did previously and it didn't budge but again, only a very tiny bit of liner wore off. As long as you don't rub your eyes after jumping in the pool, you should be just fine.

Pigmentation: Very black. You don't need a lot to see the slide on pencil work.

Texture: The pencil works with a light touch and it feels so soft and smooth to put on.

Conclusion: Despite the hefty pricing in Australia, I still love this pencil. I just wish they gave you more. It's easy to use, very black, quick to apply and stays on very strong even without primer. 

 NYX Slide On Pencil SL07 Jet Black without primer and before testing with water

 NYX Slide On Pencil SL07 Jet Black without primer and after testing with water

Sugarpill 4-Color Palette - Burning Heart Review

Cost (US): $34

Packaging: This palette comes in a handy flip case with a mirror, which is held together with a magnet. The graphic is quite grungy and rebellious but still holds a feminine feel to it. On first glance the case looks strong but the material is actually a hard cardboard.

The shadows are pressed so I worry about the stray particles falling onto the other shades. To fix this, after each use, I dab a tissue to pick up the loose powder and just to be safe, I insert a square of tissue paper between the palette and mirror so the mirror stays clean when it's closed.

Pigmentation: This is the brightest brand of eye shadow I own. I have tried it without primer (mixed with water) and it was still pigmented, and even stayed on quite well.

Conclusion: I wish they had more than nine of the matte colours. I really love these. You don't need much to get a really strong colour. The colours are just so gorgeous.

Side Note: I have had very good experience with their customer service where my Bulletproof eye shadow was practically destroyed when I received it. The owner replied and quickly, apologised and said she will be sending a replacement and that I didn't have to send the old one back. It was very easy. No issues, no hassles. 

Eye Shadow: Sugarpill - Buttercupcake, Poison Plum, Flamepoint, Lime Crime Medusa, 

Nyx Nude Pearl 

Primer: Lime Crime "Candy Eyed" Primer

Mascara: Maybelline XXL Pro Extensions  

Eyeliner: Maybelline Line Definer Noir - Black

Swatches showing pigmentation without primer (left) and with primer (right), using Lime Crime Candy Eyed Primer.

Flamepoint, Buttercupcake, Poison Plum, Love +

Lime Crime Carousel Gloss Review and Swatches

Cost (US): Whole set - $65. Per gloss - $17

Packaging: Lime Crime is pretty well known for it's beautiful packaging. They put a lot of effort in every detail of their brand that the box their products are delivered in is even quite pretty. The application brush is smaller to what I am used to and it can make application a little difficult because my lips are actually quite big but it's a really small price to pay for awesome gloss. The design of the container is really cool too. It's not a boring tube but has a spiral engrave to it. Any girl would be proud to show this off simply because of the design.

Staying Power: I was a little too excited to test this in normal conditions, (I only received it today during my work break and only opened it when I finished work). So far though, it seems like it would stick on a little better than your typical glosses.

Pigmentation: Lime Crime is known for their bold, statement-making colours and this gloss is no exception. They are glittery and very, very, pigmented that you would think you were wearing lipstick. You don't need to put a lot on to feel and see the gloss working. Although, the more you apply, the more opaque it becomes. I find the red glosses do a lot better on my lips than the others, which seem to lose its pigment because of my lip colour. Lime Crime suggests layering the gloss over certain lipstick to reach an ever better result, which would probably fix my issue of dulled colours.

Texture: The gloss is thick and smells quite pleasant. I feel it's not too sticky but sticky and moist enough to be confident that I won't have to reapply after a few hours despite not doing anything like eating or drinking. Of course if you do eat or drink, this will come off.

Conclusion: The quality of Lime Crime's Carousel Lip gloss is very impressive and I guess you would expect it with the price it holds. The glosses are quite large too at 3.5g. When I was a teenager I was an avid gloss wearer but changed to lipstick because the gloss I owned really was not that great and wore off after only a few minutes. However, I do see myself going back to gloss because Carousel glosses feel very comfortable and the colours are very awesome.

From Top Left to Right:
Golden Ticket, Kaleidoscope, Candy Apple, Cherry On Top, Loop-De-Loop
(This is how my lips look using the amount of gloss that I would feel comfortable wearing for every day use. However, you can add more to create a more opaque look.)