The Makeup Box

La Femme Blush Swatches

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This is a very quick post just showing you the swatches for 12 shades of La Femme blushes which I purchased from makeupmania.com a while back.

I was in the US on a work trip and it made a lot of sense to grab a palette and 12 full-size blush pans at $2.50 each (which would not have been quite as logical once you add crazy international shipping fees). 

This is a brand which has been raved about by MANY makeup artists because of the incredible pigmentation and value.

Before you go all excited though, do remember that powderiness and TONS of fallout accompany the incredibly-intense pigmentation. If you know how to work with it, or you are experienced at wielding your blush brush, the shade range is huge and each pan is fantastic for the price. 

If you’re looking for dramatic blush or color that can be used on lids AND lips as well, then these are fabulous.

For those who worry about over-application of blush or looking too dramatic or clown-like, it’s better to stick with conventional brands available in drugstores and high-end counters.

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My favorite shades?

I’m still testing most of these out, but so far, I really love Flamingo Pink and Pink Velvet.

The deeper shades like Framboesia and Magenta would be fab on really deep skins because for once, this range is NOT too sheer to show up nicely against darker tones.

There are also many browns and bronze shades in the range which I did not pick up since I already have those in my personal collection. I went for stronger, less-typical colors.

P.S. Pink Blush is actually a shadow which I included in my purchase as a blush because it’s a great pale pink which can be used as highlight AND to cut other blushes that are too strong.

L’oreal Infallible Eye Shadows: 5 Minute Overview and Tips

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What are these?

L’oreal has taken loose, glittery pigments and thrown in a ton of binders so that they:

• Go on smoother
• Go on more intense
• Adhere to the skin well
• Stay on longer than other dry shadows

But what’s a binder? 

Most times, a binder is either a silicone or a fat, introduced into dry pigments in a small enough amount that the final product still feels and acts like a dry pigment, but also has better ability to “stick” to the skin.

The more binders you add, the more the formula starts to feel and look like a gel/cream shadow. An overly-dry or wet formula will go on sheerer, so an in-between is usually the best for maximum intensity.

• Dry powders fall or sweep off the skin easily
• Wet creams/gels spread out too thin when applied

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What you can expect:

A more color-true, intense, silky finish that does not require a separate primer beneath. Think of these as shadows with primers built in since it’s pretty much the same ingredients.

Other pigments/shadows that contain silicone/fat binders:

• MAC and Lime Crime pigments: They look like dry dusts but these formulas do contain small amounts of binders to help the color go on better. If you’ve ever worked with pure micas you’ll know they don’t go on and stay on very well. Aside from colors, what you buy from mica wholesalers and many mineral makeup stores is NOT the same thing as products that contain silicone and fats.
• Urban Decay Deluxe Shadows, The Body Shop Eyeshadow Singles, and I Nuovi Metallogy Shadows: These are high-pigment pressed shadows that contain silicones or fats. This allows manufacturers to use a lot less powder fillers like titanium dioxide and talc, so the shadows feel very soft and silky, and go on extremely intense, but may also cost more to manufacture.

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Extra Tips:

• You don’t really need a base, and wearing these over another base will only intensify them slightly.
• These come in only gloriously metallic, glittery or shimmery finishes, so if you love mattes, you won’t find them here.
• You don’t need a separate primer to increase th intensity of these shadows but you will still need primer to make it last a whole day, especially if you have oily ds.
• These are super-handy if you are traveling light and don’t want to have to bring a separate eyeshadow primer along.
• Fingers work better than brushes or sponges when you want to get max intensity in your application. If you can’t bear to use your hands, go with flat brushes or fine-grained sponge tips.
• It’s harder to use a light hand with these formulas as they tend to go on much more intense than baked or regular pressed shadows. If you’re color-shy, I don’t recommend these.
• You don’t need to use them wet, and it’s actually not advisable to, if the formula has a very high binder content (e.g. I Nuovi Metallogy, Urban Decay Deluxe) as you might end up spoiling the shadows when the silicones and oils come into contact with water. Most of these are so pigmented that foiling them does not make much of a difference anyway. If you want a real molten effect for theatrical looks, it’s better to add water or mixing medium to a loose pigment instead.
• These are less messy than other loose pigments as they have a slightly damp muscovado-sugar texture. The pigments clump and stick together when pressed and packed tight, and when you run your fingers over it, it almost feels and looks like a jar of Chanel Illusion D’Ombre. 

P.S. This is a very simple look with a dark crease and lash line. If you want a tutorial, let me know!

Product of the Week: Laura Mercier Metallic Creme Shadow in Burnished Copper

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The brown base I used to reach for all the time was MAC’s Constructivist Paint Pot, but if you’ve ever owned a pot shadow before, you’ll know they get dry over time and harden to the point where they’re almost impossible to work with.

I still use my Contructivist Paint Pot but I need to add a drop of silicone oil to sort of dissolve and thin it out before I can use it properly. 

Now, my local Sephora recently started stocking Laura Mercier products, so I grabbed the chance to buy a few of the cult products such as the Secret Camouflage concealer (I bought SC-2 and I really like it so far).

The other product I picked up was this Metallic Cream Eye Color in Burnished Copper.

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Verdict: (Summary if you don’t want to read the full details)

Great shadow intensifier and primer for those with dry-to-normal lids and love browns, but want to jazz it up a little by layering it with other shades, or getting that really intensely-rich chocolate smoky eye. Also good on a variety of skins, from light-to-deep, as this has enough red tones in it not to appear ashy or brassy on really dark skin tones. 

If you have porcelain skin, approach with caution as deep reddened browns can make you look like you got punched in the eye. A softer, more ashy brown would probably look better.

Texture-wise, I don’t think this will be very good for oily lids as it’s quite emollient, even though it sets and isn’t slippery like MAC Cream Color Bases.

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Price:

Now at USD$22 (I believe just under SGD40 in Singapore; I threw out my receipt and forgot!), I won’t call this the most affordable product on the market, but it’s also not more expensive than MAC, and a little bit does go a very long way with this. The texture is creamy and luxurious so it blends easily, and makes powder pigments go on a LOT more intensely on top. (Dry bases tend not to intensify color, although they last longer.)

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The shade/finish:

Now as the name suggests, this is a deep chocolate brown with a shot of coppery-red tones. Not so much that it actually looks russet, but enough to warm up the brown and make it more flattering for more skin tones.

It’s a metallic/pearl shade, but as you sheer it out, the sheen sort of fades.

There are a handful of other neutral shades, but I was primarily going to use this as a base and prefer non-shimmery finishes when using light eye shadow primers, so I gave those a miss.

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Texture:

Gel-creme, silky, and not so different from an Urban Decay eye shadow primer. Sets, but isn’t bullet-proof.

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Tips and Tricks for Use:

1. Apply with a synthetic brush for easy blending and more precision, but this works with the fingers as well due to the creamy texture. It won’t be as cakey and streaky as a MAC Paint Pot if you choose to use your fingers.
2. If you want to wear a little color in the day for work or school but don’t want to go overboard, then just apply a little colored shadow over this. You’ll get a neutral look with a twist.
3. Pack glitter over this and you get lids that look neutral from far away but sparkle and glimmer up close!
4. WARNING: If you want a rich brown, apply a matching chocolate brown shadow over it. Don’t try to layer on more Creme Shadow or it will crease!