Showing posts with label Video. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Video. Show all posts

May 25, 2015

REVIEW + SWATCHES | Make Up For Ever Artist Shadows

 

Artist Shadows


Effortlessly create endless eye looks that range from beautifully natural to highly artistic with this unique eye shadow palette. With its breakthrough, gel-powder formula blended with ultrafine pigments, Artist Shadow leaves a smooth, even result that gives lids super-saturated, lasting color. An easily-blendable formula that features diamond, iridescent, matte, metallic, and satin finishes, it is an accessible shadow for the professional makeup artist and the everyday woman. 



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Size: 0.07 oz

Price: $21 (each+$1 for compact), $34 (duo), $44 (trio)
(see below)
  
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The following colors were created for use on cheeks: 
Frosted Peach, Mahogany, Mandarin, Rust, Pumpkin, Copper Red, Watermelon, Electric Coral, Coral Pink, Golden Pink, Electric Purple, Tangerine, Poppy, Milk Toffee, Peach, Bisque, Salmon, Orange,Tomato, Coral, Grenadine,Tea Pink, Light Rosewood, Purple, Canyon, Apricot, Auburn, Flesh-colored Pink, Rosewood, Dark Purple Pink, Eggplant

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The Make Up For Ever Artist Shadows retail for $21 each for 0.07 oz. 

However, there is a customizable option where you can build your own Make Up For Ever Custom Artist Palette  in bundles of 2 or 3 and receive a discounted price - $34 for a duo = $17 each and $44 for a trio = $14.60 each. 

Starting out these shadows are within the expected price range of other mid-to-high-end cosmetics brands with the size edging on the larger end of the spectrum - you are getting quite a bit of product for your bucks. The great thing about these shadows, is that you have the option to build your own customizable duos or trios at a discounted price. When you purchase 2 of these shadows, the price of each comes close to MAC Eyeshadow prices (with more product). And if you grab one more to make it a trio then you get an even cheaper bundle price.

While these are not the cheapest eyeshadows on the market or even the best make-your-own-palette system, I still think you can get value for your money by springing for trios versus purchasing singles or duos. They are also larger sized pans so you will get more product than the typical small sized eyeshadow on the market - or even those available in pre-made palettes.






These shades come packaged in a temporary case; the custom palette cases are sold separately.

In just 3 easy steps, you'll be on your way to customizing your new Make Up For Ever Custom Artist Palette!

STEP 1:
Add a 1-pan, 2-pan, or 3-pan Make Up For Ever Artist Shadow Custom Palette Case to your cart for $1.

STEP 2:
Add 1 or more Make Up For Ever Artist Shadows to your basket.

STEP 3:
When you add 1 Make Up For Ever Artist Shadow and a Mono Palette to your basket, there is no discount applied.
$22 for 1 Eyeshadow + Palette

When you add 2 Make Up For Ever Artist Shadows and a Duo Palette to your basket, a $9 discount will be applied automatically at checkout.
$34 for 2 Eyeshadows = $17 each

When you add 3 Make Up For Ever Artist Shadows and a Trio Palette to your basket, a $20 discount will be applied automatically at checkout.
$44 for 3 Eyeshadows = $14.60 each








 
The Make Up For Ever Artist Shadows are currently available for purchase in store and online at the following locations:

 
 
The Make Up For Ever Artist Shadows come packaged in a temporary case; the custom palette cases are sold separately for $1 each.

The custom palette cases are solid shiny black cases with a transparent snap-fit lids with the Make Up For Ever logo printed in black. Inside there are magnetized cut-outs that fit the shadow pans securely into place. There are also pin sized holes at the bottom of the palettes for easy removal of the shadow pans - without damaging the product by attempting to pry them out. The Custom Palette Cases comes in 1-pan, 2-pan, or 3-pan sizes.

They are very high quality sturdy palettes that are great for organizing your shadows and for travel. However, these can also be placed into other magnetized palettes on the market - I use my extra large z-palettes which hold 19 of these large sized shadows.

These shadows are only labeled with numbers on the back (ink printed which is pretty much production line basic! HA!). The actual shade names are provided on the Sephora website. For ease of use, especially for blogging and YouTube tutorial purposes, I printed my own labels and secured them to the back of each pan. 

Side note: Make Up For Ever will probably never use actual names for their products since the number system syncs up to their internal coding system and lines up with manufacturing and Pantone Color Matching System references. 

 







 

"In Extra Dimension Eye Shadow is a modern hybrid formula that combines the smoothness of a cream, the blendability of a liquid and the finish of a powder with long-wearing colour and prismatic reflections. Its creamy, silky, near-fluid formula creates luminous, well-defined eyes in finishes from sheer crystallized light to stunning metallic."

COLORS/SHADES
The Make Up For Ever Artist Shadows come in a HUGE range of colors - 210 shades in case you were curious!

There are numerous nude shades, reds, yellows, greens, oranges, pinks, purples, burgundy shades, smokey shades....pretty much all colors of the rainbow mixed in with earthy tones! You name it, you can find it here...very few makeup brands can tout having such a large range...well MAC can :)

Be mindful though, that some of these shades are meant for use on the cheeks - blush shades. Of course, they can get away with this since these are marketed as shadows rather than exclusively eyeshadows. You can still use these on your eyelids - at you own discretion and risk of course. The red pigment in these shades can cause staining and some irritation when used on the eyes.


TEXTURE & FINISH 
The Make Up For Ever Artist Shadows come in 5 different finishes - diamond, iridescent, matte, metallic and satin.  

In order of my favorite to least favorite:

Metallic – Vibrantly-toned. Shimmeringly metallic with high-shine pearl. My favorite of all the finishes - extremely creamy and shiny without being frosty or overdone.

Diamond – Intense shimmery base colors with smoothly pearlized, ultra-fine glitter. The glitter adheres well and stays in place. Some of the lighter shades (anything with Crystalline in the name) tend to apply a bit more sheerly than the other richer shades.

Matte – Flat matte, no shimmer, no glitter, no shine finish. Soft and creamy but not overly powdery.

 Iridescent – Smooth creamy texture with a subtle iridescent shine. This finish is not consistent from shade to shade - some shades are easy to work with and apply beautifully while others can get a little troublesome.

Satin – Provides a soft subtle non-frost, light-refractive sheen. This texture is tricky as it can clump up and cause trouble with blending. 


PIGMENTATION 
The Make Up For Ever Artist Shadows are nicely pigmented across the board. There are of course some shades (as you can tell from the live swatches) that require a little more building up than others. And there are also some shades that are meant to have sheer color payoff.


APPLICATION & WEAR 
The Make Up For Ever Artist Shadows have a great formula which applies well, blends easily and wears beautifully throughout the day without fading and fallout. 

While I had no issues using natural or synthetic bristle brushes with these eyeshadows, I did find that a more densely packed brush worked best for the non-matte shades. The non-matte shades also have a tendency to get crepe-y so less is more - start with a little and build up from there.

The diamond, iridescent, metallic and satin shades do have a strong silicone (dimethicone) base which allows for slip and high sheen. However, this can also leave to clumping of the product and even creasing. I always recommend using an eyeshadow primer with oily lids and in this case I highly recommend it! Personally I didn't have issues with creasing and I do have ridiculously oily eyelids!

I also find these work equally well with a damp brush or a creamy eyeshadow base.





 
The Make Up For Ever Artist Shadows are my favorite eyeshadow formula to date. I really enjoyed the previous formula and new revised formula takes everything to another level. I am slightly upset that the famous #92 Shadow is no longer available and nothing in the line-up truly replaces it.

However, I highly recommend this line (of course there are a few not so great shades - check the details below) without hesitation. There are a few troublesome shades that I would skip but overall it's a great lineup. 

Have you tried these shadows?  Interested?


 




Apr 3, 2014

REVIEW + SWATCHES | Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette

 
    

The Chocolate Bar experience begins as soon as you open the palette and the smell of sweet chocolate envelops you. The eye shadows are pigmented with pure, antioxidant-rich cocoa powder and includes 16 matte and shimmer shades of natural browns, delicate pinks and luscious plums. Includes our signature how-to Glamour Guide with three looks to get you started.


This set contains:

0.03 oz x 14 Eye Shadows in Gilded Ganache, Milk Chocolate, Black Forrest Truffle, Triple Fudge, Salted Caramel, Marzipan, Semi-Sweet, Strawberry Bon Bon, Candied Violet, Amaretto, Hazelnut, Crème Brulee, Haute Chocolate, Cherry Cordial

0.10 oz x 2 Eye Shadows in White Chocolate, Champagne Truffle

How To Glamour Guide 


 



 

The Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette retails for $49 for 0.62 oz. (0.03 x 14 + 0.10 x 2) of product.

There is now a bounty of neutral palettes to choose from on the market. The Urban Decay Naked Palettes are priced at $52 for 0.6 oz. (0.05 x 12 + dual-ended brush + eyeshadow primer samples). The Smashbox Full Exposure Palette is priced at $49 for 0.49 oz. (0.035 x 14 + dual-ended brush + mini mascara). The IT Cosmetics Naturally Pretty Palette is priced at $42 for 0.49 oz. (0.035 x 14).

This palette is priced in line with other neutral palettes from comparable brands. However, there are no bonus items included such as a brush, mascara, etc. which are provided with other palettes on the market. There are more eyeshadow shades included though which kind of levels the playing field somewhat.
 


 
The Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette is a permanent item (until it's discontinued of course) and is available for purchase online at Sephora and Ulta Stores as well as online at Sephora.com, Ulta.com and Too Faced.com. You can also find this palette wherever Too Faced products are sold either online or at other cosmetics counters.


 
 
The Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette comes in a dark brown metal tin with an embossed chocolate bar design (think Hershey's Chocolate Bars) with a magnetic closure. Inside the palette there is a centered mirror that does not span the entire length/width of the lid. The eyeshadows are also laid out the chocolate bar design with 14 of the eyeshadows being regular-sized and 2 are double-sized.The eyeshadow names are printed on a transparent insert that lays on top of the eyeshadows to indicate the shade name underneath.

The palette closes securely enough for everyday use but may not be secure enough for travel. It would helped to hold the palette together with some securement means to ensure that the eyeshadows don't break inside luggage, etc.

The transparent sleeve also irks me a bit since I am a blogger/vlogger but may not be too much of an issue for the casual makeup user. I would rather the eyeshadow names be printed on the palette itself. 

The Box (Front)



The Box (Back)


The Palette (internal)



 The Palette (External - Front)



The Palette (External - Back)






"This beautiful assortment of chocolate-inspired shades were formulated using real cocoa powder. Encased in a playful chocolate bar tin, the rich selection of the perfect browns, neutrals, and little pops of color appeal to every candy lover."
 SCENT
The Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette has a delicious cocoa/chocolatey scent that is true to the cocoa formulation. The scent is not overwhelming but you will get a whiff when you open the palette and even when you apply the eyeshadows. It is not an artificial or sickeningly sweet fragrance so I wouldn't worry about being sensitive to it at all. It is very faint on the skin and doesn't linger for very long throughout wear.
 COLORS/SHADES
The Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette features 16 shades including neutral browns, pink/purple, burgundy/cranberry, bronzes, ivory/champagne, gold. There are an assortment of intense and light shades with pops of color that I think truly gives the makeup lover enough variety to create a multitude of looks.
TEXTURE & FINISH 
The  Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette includes 6 matte shades, 6 frost/shimmer shades and  4 glitter-infused shades.

All the matte shades are buttery soft and smooth without being too powdery or patchy when applied to the skin.

The shimmery shades are also very buttery and creamy and glide effortlessly onto the skin.

The glitter-infused shades are gorgeous but will have fall-out as with any glittery eyeshadow. The glitter is fine enough though that they apply smoothly with any chunky particles. A good primer and brush will minimize fall-out.


PIGMENTATION 
All the shades have great pigmentation except for Strawberry Bon Bon and Cherry Cordial. Both shades require a bit of layering to get fully opaque color. 

APPLICATION & WEAR 
The Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette contains nicely pigmented shades that are smooth and creamy. They apply and blend easily with each other and even with other eyeshadows. They wear well for over 8 hours with minimal fading.


 

The Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette has become a staple in my collection. It is a great neutral palette with just the right amount of matte shades, shimmery shades and pops of color. I love that the eyeshadows are smooth and blend-able with great color payoff - even the matte shades. You can get a great variety of looks of this palette - from everyday looks to bolder night looks and even fun looks with a pop of color. I highly recommend this palette to anyone who loves neutrals and is looking for a great everyday/slighty sassy palette!


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Have you tried this palette yet?  Interested?







  Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette





Gilded Ganache, White Chocolate, Salted Caramel, Marzipan, Semi-Sweet, Hazelnut, Crème Brulee, Haute Chocolate
(top-bottom: left to right)






Milk Chocolate, Black Forrest Truffle, Triple Fudge, Strawberry Bon Bon, Candied Violet, Amaretto, Cherry Cordial, Champagne Truffle

 (top-bottom: left to right) 



 Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette





  Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette


  Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette




 Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette



 Amaretto, Candied Violet, Black Forrest Truffle, Cherry Cordial, Strawberry Bon Bon, Haute Chocolate, Crème Brulee, Marzipan, Hazelnut, Gilded Ganache, Triple Fudge, Semi-Sweet, Milk Chocolate, Salted Caramel, Champagne Truffle, White Chocolate 
(left to right)




 Triple Fudge, Semi-Sweet, Milk Chocolate, Salted Caramel, Champagne Truffle, White Chocolate 
(left to right)



 Amaretto, Candied Violet, Black Forrest Truffle, Cherry Cordial, Strawberry Bon Bon, Haute Chocolate, Crème Brulee
(left to right)



 Haute Chocolate, Crème Brulee, Marzipan, Hazelnut, Gilded Ganache, Triple Fudge, Semi-Sweet
(left to right)


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