I can't believe that it's April already, and I'm sorry I've sort of disappeared! March just flew by, and between work and everything else, I just couldn't seem to keep up. At any rate, I hope to be back to my regular posting schedule now, and I thought I would start with a few products that weren't quite right for me.
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Narsissist Eyeshadow Palettes
I have such weird mixed feelings about Nars powder products. Formula-wise, I think the eyeshadows and blushes are decent, though not the best I’ve tried. They’re often too shimmery for my liking too, though I will readily admit my pretty significant Nars obsession in 2008-2009. There’s something about the palettes that just get me. I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve thought about buying their latest blush palette (or any other blush palette for that matter), and I’ve clearly been unable to resist both of their NARSissist Eyeshadow palettes.
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Check Out theBalm Nude 'Tude! <3
Earlier in the summer, I was lucky enough to win this eyeshadow palette from theBalm on Twitter. YAY. Sometimes I just love Twitter. If you don't follow them already, please do! You can tweet daily to have a chance to win! (Don't worry, I'm not associated with the company or the contest in any way, but hope you can win something if you really want to!) But seriously though, I just love this palette! Look at the pretty shades- they are all quite wearable, I think!Many people would compare this palette to Urban Decay's Naked palettes, and I suppose the idea here is similar enough to warrant the comparison. I am alarmed to admit that I own both Naked palettes as well, and I don't think any regular person needs to have all three - one (or two if you can't help yourself!) of the options would do just fine. I do feel that this palette is more neutral/cool toned, so if that is something you're looking for, do check it out! I think all of the shades are quite nice. I was surprised by how smoothly they swatched in one go, and how creamy they felt overall. Even the more matte shades felt quite creamy, and the only one shade that wasn't up to par and felt a bit gritty was Silly, and you can see in the swatch (2nd to last) that it doesn't look as smooth or even as the others with one swipe. I was happily surprised at how wearable Stubborn is, and I really just love Selfish as an everyday sort of shade.
The double ended brush included isn't the best, but you can use the shadow end if you need to. I had a tough time with the liner end, but I'm not sure if I just felt that it was too rough yet not firm enough. Perhaps I just don't prefer that style of eyeliner brush overall, though?
On me, I was able to wear these without primer for 12 hours before I removed it with very minimal, if any fading. Even on a day with massive allergies (watery, itchy eyes that I kept rubbing, oops!), the shadow on my lids made it about just as long. The shadow on my lower lashline didn't, which is to be expected with all the watery eyes and me rubbing them. On one of these occasions, Milani Liquif'eye eyeliner smeared/creased some in the hooded part of my eyelid, but these shadows from theBalm didn't! Wohoo!
I was seriously impressed by this palette, and I think it is a great palette for every day looks. The darker shades allow you to make some smoky evening looks as well, so this feels like a very versatile kit to me! I was definitely obsessing over this palette, and still would be if I hadn't fallen hard for Burberry eyeshadows. :)
What do you think of this palette from theBalm? Have you tried this or any other theBalm product? :)
Favorite Eyeshadows of 2011
2011 was definitely a year of neutral shadows for me. Prior to this year, I pretty much used smoky eye looks or just no makeup at all! These were my favorites: Urban Decay Naked Palette - Perfect for smoky or neutral looks, this palette was my transition to lighter shades on my eyes. Still wish UD would come out with a palette with more matte neutral shades! Dior 5-Color Iridescent Eyeshadow in Earth Reflection - Pretty neutral shades with nice shimmer! Nars Essential Eye Palette - Again another palette great for neutrals or smoky looks (or even in between!) And Galapagos was a great brown for either style! Mac Eyeshadow in Charcoal Brown - A perfect matte midtone shade! Hourglass Visionaire Eyeshadow Duo in Suede - Light shimmers in a gorgeous neutral combo!
Now that I'm composing this post, I realized that I have a gorgeous Chanel combination palette with pretty light colors too... and I haven't touched that at all in 2011! And same thing with the Dior 5 Golds Eyeshadow I was obsessing over last holiday season. Not to mention many many shadows I've collected over the last few years. EEP!
(Also one thing I've noticed while composing these posts is that all my products look new! Lol. This is how bad my makeup problem is - because I really don't wear makeup often at all!)
Anyway! As I was really paring down my collection this year, I left myself with my absolute favorite smoky eyeshadows & cleared out most of the others. Here they are!
Chanel Ombres Perlees Eyeshadow Palette - LOVE these gorgeous colors. Really there is nothing comparable when Chanel creates standout shades.
Chanel Les 4 Ombres in Smoky Eye - I've used & loved this palette since it came out (was that 2008?) and this was my second one after the first got lost in a purse that was stolen (that was a depressing day!) It's so perfect for smoky eyes on any skintone!
I definitely want to try more Hourglass shadows in 2012 and definitely make use of all my other eyeshadows I still have!
What were your 2011 faves? Any eyeshadow plans for 2012?