A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

New for this season, Clarin’s Mineral Eyeshadow in Smoky Plum is a beaut.  But then I would say that, it’s a gorgeous, mauve-toned taupe… just the kind that gets me far too excited about eyeshadow.   Clarins make some of my favourite eyeshadows, they’re generally on the sheerer side… something that I’ve grown fond of as I’ve gotten a little older.

They also do light-reflecting without any of the over-the-top-shimmer that you’d expect from a more metallic finish.

Smoky Plum delivers a nicely-textured formula that can be used either wet or dry.  To be honest, I rarely use my eyeshadows wet… for a day to day look, I almost always use a sheer wash of colour over the lids with a staple darker matte in the crease for a little definition.  Nowadays, I don’t get much more adventurous than this, so I look for longer-lasting formulas that deliver a subtle sparkle.

This little Clarins number does what it says on the tin, in a shade that I’d wear day in-day out with no grumbles at all.

You should be able to pick up on the sparkle in the above swatch, this is one swipe… it can be built up in intensity… but not by a huge amount unless you apply it with a damp brush.  If you’re looking for some power-pigment, my advice would be to steer clear of Clarins but if you’re looking for something eminently wearable, non-aging, and long-lasting… do give the Clarins Mineral Eyeshadows a second look, this one particularly if you want a beautiful cool-toned neutral.

Clarins Mineral Eyeshadow in Smoky Plum is priced from £13.60, available to buy online from escentual.com and on Clarin’s counters (£17.00) nationwide.

* press sample

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If, like me, you’ve been searching for clever ways to recession-proof your makeup bag without compromising too much on the quality, I’ve got a treat in store for you today.

Nestled along the “this is not just any eyeshadow, this is M&S eyeshadow” (no, they’re never getting away from that slogan) lurks a rather stunning, richly pigmented, smooth-applying taupe.

You know that I’m kinda crazy for my taupes and my purples.  If the world fell off its axis tomorrow and all other shades whizzed off into outer space, I wouldn’t give a shiny shit and neither should you.  Because, at the risk of sounding a little controversial here… taupes and purples suit EVERYONE.  You just need to find the right ones.

Despite what the box says, this ain’t no “gunmetal”, there’s too much dusty moth-brown goodness in there for this to be a simple gunmetal *scoffs*.  Why, this is a full-on grown-up, grenache-drinking, interest only mortgage-paying taupe.  And not only that, but it’s a rather nice one lacking in both the kind of uber-metallic sheeniness that crepes at forty paces, and chunky sparkle.

It comes complete with a mirror, and most shockingly… a not-too-useless eyeshadow applicator that actually makes a really decent job at smudging the powder along the lashlines if you just use the tip.

For your meagre monies, you get a generous amount (no weight listed) of BUAV (bunny) approved product.  And for those who find this important… it looks easily depottable also.  I doooo like a neat, square pan!

Interestingly, they also sell a “taupe”… don’t get them confused… that one’s a wimpy, slightly-sandy looking incarnation. Pff.

M&S Autograph Pure Colour Mono Eyeshadow in Gunmetal* is priced at £6.00, available instore and online at marksandspencer.com

* press sample

Sorry ladies, I got taup-ally happy with my Yves Rocher ordering didn’t I?  This is the last one… I promise (until the next time).

You’ll be pleased to hear that this one was also the cheapest, and I didn’t have much hopes for it… but I think it’s my favourite!

#71 Gris Taupe is a densely pigmented shade with a satin finish.  So many times, cheaper powder eyeshadows lack any creaminess and feel gritty or hard to the touch.  This one has all the textural qualities you’d expect from a product twice the price.  Packaging is horrible though, this one’s definitely a depotter, though I do like a neat square pan in a depotted palatte, so it’s all good!

You can see in the swatch photo that the taupe definitely leans to the grey and is fairly neutral in tone, the silver highlight is very pretty and gives a nice ethereal sheen to the eye area once applied. Longevity is average, and I prefer to apply this one with my finger for a gentler effect as it is quite deep in pigment otherwise.

Yves Rocher Taupe Gris is priced at £8 on a buy-one-get-one-free offer (YR seem to change their prices more often than I change my knickers).

You can buy Taupe Gris online here.

Sorry if I’m on a bit of an Yves Rocher bore train at the minute but I’m slowly working through the order I made last month and included in my naughtiness were a few taupe eyeshadows that had caught my eye in Prague.  This is one of them…

Taupe Bruyere is in their range of single eyeshadows and has a soft sheen, gentle (but not too sheer) pigment and for a powder… a nice, creamy texture wearing well throughout the day.  If you’re looking to see if you’ve already got something simillar in your collection (of course you have), I’d pitch it as closest to a slightly-more-violet version of NARS Lhasa or a less glittery (much less) version of Chanel Illusoire.  I can’t find an exact dupe in the bits that I’ve already unpacked.

Yves Rocher Taupe Bruyere is available to buy online, priced at £12.00 – the price fluctuates in the sales though and I paid half that only a few weeks ago…

Want it?

I’ve wanted Shu Uemura’s IR Brown 850 for quite a while… I think it was ever since I read it likened to MAC’s discontinued Smoke & Diamonds which I craved and couldn’t get hold of before it had sold out.

Shu Uemura IR Brown 850 is a very pretty silvery taupe. It’s perfectly neutral, leaning neither too warm nor too cool and as we have come to expect from Shu Uemura shadows, applies with a beautifully smooth texture.

By the way, incase you’re wondering where you can get it from… I’m taking a leaf out of PinkSith’s book.  Sorry.  Nice though, innit?

Browsing my local Debenhams last week, I came across this Color Intrigue Eyeshadow from Elizabeth Arden in shade, Smoke. Ohhh, the familiar beauty of a cool-toned taupe sucks me in almost immediately.

It was reduced down to £7-something, and as I hadn’t been able to find the jumper that I was in there to buy, I consoled myself with an eyeshadow instead.  You can imagine my tutting when I got home and found it for sale on DirectCosmetics for £3.49. Tut.

But nevertheless, I’m happy with my purchase – I adore the Elizabeth Arden eyeshadow formula which is so terribly underrated in the blogging world.  Smooth and creamy powder formulas with long-lasting wear and good pigmentation.

I’ll do a giant swatch comparison of all my taupey shades soon (if I remember), you’ll probably find that most of them look pretty much exactly like the one above.  For my shame.

What colour eyeshadow do you over-buy?

Despite the fact that I’ve hardly scraped the surface of my previous Chanel Illusion d’Ombre purchase (Mirifique), I was back at the counter barely a month later to pick up Illusoire – a smoky, mauve shade which contains the most perfect amount of glimmer for an understated sparkle.

These are simply my favourite shades – cool, mauvey taupes will always bring a pitter-patter to my heart.  The texture of the Chanel Illusion d’Ombres are like a solid mousse with a little bit of bounce when you brush your finger over the surface.  They feel cooling as you apply them to your eyelids and last well throughout the day.

Pigmentation is medium but the depth of colour builds quickly with a second sweep over the eyelid – the formula blends nicely, more like a powder than a cream or mousse – blendable even after it’s been sat for a little while.

The above swatch shows two swipes on bare skin done with my fingertip.  Are you loving the Chanel Illusion d’Ombres?

Chanel Illusion d’Ombre #83 Illusoire is priced at £22.50 and available instore online from Debenhams and Selfridges.

I’ve had a ‘thing’ for this Kjaer Weis eyeshadow in Wisdom ever since reading Jane’s post about it over a year ago.  I already knew that the brand produced quality items (albeit at a price) and a few months ago I decided that I could stand it no longer and took the plunge.

Wisdom is a taupe with a difference… a subtle difference for sure, but it has a beautiful, ghostly sheen that intrigues me and catches the light at certain angles.  To most, it would mean nothing but to taupe fans, it’s enough to give it that ‘get in my basket’ factor.  The cool taupe is nicely, though not densely pigmented and blends like a dream, lasting through the day with or without primer.

You can see the ethereal sheen in the swatch above, it’s like a ghostly flash of pretty that really gives it a softer look once on the eye.  Yeah, I like this one a lot.  Refills are priced at £13 each, if you want it in the original Zamac packaging – you’ll be looking at parting with £32 for the pleasure.

Kjaer Weis used to be available in the UK from SpaceNK but I’ve just been on their website and everything appears to be out of stock.  Never a good sign.  Anyone know what’s happening with the brand’s availability in the UK?

…you see, the Mary Quant store is next to the Liz Earle flagship store just off the Kings Road and I was mooching around killing some time before a facial.  I’d done Zara, drooled over the pastries in Pat. Val and there was really only Mary Quant left.  I would make a rubbish defence lawyer.

The first thing I was drawn to was the display cabinet filled with (mostly) eyeshadows.  They come packaged as pans, the palettes are sold separately for around £7 upwards.  Sadly, even the largest palettes didn’t really hold a great deal so I decided to just buy the pan and work out what the heck I was going to do with the shadow later.

S-36 is a pretty, neutral taupe jam packed with multicoloured sparkle.  The sparkle is smooth… simillar to what you’d find in a well-milled pigment rather than something like an UD eyeshadow.

My swatch doesn’t show the multi-coloured sparkle at all sadly.  I believe this shade is limited edition (Spring 2011) and was priced at around £7-£9 (I’ve lost my receipt, sorry!).

The second item I gravitated towards was this nail polish that charmed my inner magpie for all things sparkly.

The image above shows two coats layered over a black creme.  The glitter particles are holographic and the clear base is packed with a pink/red pearl which turns the black base a lovely aubergine/purple shade.

This is a small 5ml bottle and it set me back around the same amount as the eye shadow.

There’s only one store in the UK but you can order from them through a mail order system by giving them a call on 0207 881 9833 or emailing them at mq.shop@maryquant.co.uk

Continuing with my Wet n’ Wild palettes, today’s show is Silent Treatment.  I knew I’d like this one but well, this is just silly beautiful.

The browbone shade is gonna see a lot of use… it’s a lovely match for me to blend out harsh edges.  I applied the crease shade higher than I would normally and left my outer v lighter.

I think I like the effect… I’m not brilliant at applying eyeshadow but this seemed to open my eyes a little more though the overall effect was more dramatic than I’d usually wear during daylight hours!

Weird angles… but it shows the eyeshadow FAR better than my usual attempts!

These palettes are a little dusty with a degree of fall out but boy, am I loving them nonetheless.  We’re missing out on a trick here UK ladies.

Following my pledge to suffocate the makeup snob in me that threatens to overwhelm, I spent a little while swatching at the Maybelline stand in my local Tesco the other evening.  OK, I swatched at all of them, I’m a quick healer.  Infact, I was gone for so long (just popping out for a pint of milk dear!) that Mr. L looked slightly white-faced when I returned home after 10pm having forgotten to take my phone.  Oops.

I thought I’d share some photos of my favourite purchase of the evening, Maybelline’s Eye Studio Mono Eye Shadow in Silken Taupe (£4.09)…

Alright, so it’s not exactly the Show Orchid of the eyeshadow world.  It’s taupe.  But damnit, I like my taupes… and I like them a lot.  Wanna know how much?  Well… here’s some potential dupes I pulled out…

From left to right: Maybelline Silken Taupe ♦ Shu Uemura M810 ♦ Helena Rubenstein Dark Ebony Duo ♦ NARS Ashes to Ashes ♦ Estee Lauder Tempting Mocha

Swatched from left to right: Maybelline Silken Taupe ♦ Shu Uemura M810 ♦ Helena Rubenstein Dark Ebony Duo ♦ NARS Ashes to Ashes ♦ Estee Lauder Tempting Mocha

Wait… there’s more…

From left to right: Maybelline Silken Taupe ♦ Chanel Safari ♦ MAC Style Snob ♦ Paul & Joe #23 ♦ MAC Satin Taupe

Swatched from left to right: Maybelline Silken Taupe ♦ Chanel Safari ♦ MAC Style Snob ♦ Paul & Joe #23 ♦ MAC Satin Taupe

Last one, I promise…

From left to right: Maybelline Silken Taupe ♦ Stila Cloud

Swatched from left to right: Maybelline Silken Taupe ♦ Stila Cloud

The moral of this post of boring eyeshadows is…

a).  Go and buy Maybelline’s Silken Taupe right now.

b). Count your neutral shades and work out just how many millenia it will take to use them up.

c). If you want to borrow a taupe, you’ll have to ask elsewhere… I don’t seem to have very many, must rectify this.

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* estee lauder’s tempting mocha was a pr sample

workhorse: noun. Something, such as a machine, that performs dependably under heavy or prolonged use.

Dior’s One Couleur Eyeshadow in Trendy Taupe is one of my go-to shades for deepening the crease.  It works well paired with anything I’ve matched it up to and blends without too much argument or swearing (from me).

Other than that… well, in all honesty, it’s completely un-exciting.  But I wouldn’t be without it.

The pigmentation is light but buildable which means that I don’t end up with “WOAH! PANDA EYES” whenever I attempt anything smoky.

Dior’s One Couleur Eyeshadow in Trendy Taupe is priced at £19.50 (ouch) and available online from House Of Fraser.  I can’t remember if it’s limited edition but I didn’t see it online at Boots.

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Anyone else suffer from the dreaded black eye effect when attempting to go smoky?