EOTD: The Body Shop Smokey Copper Palette

Last week, I had dinner with my friends whom I haven't seen in a long, long time. And just before we bid each other goodbye again, one of my dearest friends, and my best boss ever, gave me this palette as a post-holiday gift -- The Body Shop 4-Step Smokey Eyes Palette in Smokey Copper.

The kit contains an eyeshadow quad palette, a flat eyeshadow brush and a slanted liner brush. It also has easy-to-follow instructions at the back of the box, giving you the basics of applying eyeshadow, smokey-style.

The Body Shop Smokey Copper palette has four colors in metallic browns/bronze. It is a handy quad that you can conveniently bring in your vanity case everyday for that "emergency" glam-up moments. Since it has a metallic finish (instead of shimmery), the micro-glitters give dimension to your eyes without having that sparkling "Christmas-y" look. This quad is also good for foiling, especially when used wet.

You can use the lightest color (no. 1) as a highlighter. Apply it first with the flat eyeshadow brush from your lash line, blending towards your brow bone. Make sure though that your eyebrows are well-groomed. You don't want your messy brows highlighted, do you?

Color no. 2 is a nice metallic beige that you can use as your base. Apply it using an eyeshadow brush on your entire lids.

To add drama, use a contour brush to apply color no. 3 (medium brown) on the outer V corner of your eyes. Start from the corner going inwards. Use a blending brush to diffuse color.

You can use color no. 4 (dark brown) either as a liner (draw it closest to your lash lines with the slanted liner brush that comes with the kit), or as deeper color on your outer V. Should you wish to use it on your outer V, get a small contour brush and damp it with water. Dab it gently at color no. 4 and apply from the corner going inwards. Stop just halfway where color no. 3 ends. Don't overlap them. This actually gives a nice gradation of color to your lids. Use a blending brush to diffuse lines.

For your reference, here are the swatches of The Body Shop Smokey Copper Palette on my arm. I am NC30 in MAC, but my arm appears lighter than my facial complexion.

Make sure your brows are groomed. I have sparse brows so eyebrow pencil is a must-have for me. I use Etude House Easy Brow Pencil in #1.

Day eye-makeup using The Body Shop's Smokey Copper Palette

Amplify the look with a jet black gel liner. It defines your eyes more, adding more drama to your look. My favorite is MAC's Fluidline in Blacktrack (thanks to my friend, Karen, for sending this all the way from Canada!)

This gel liner is my go-to eyeliner. It is just amazing how it makes my eyes look fabulous with just a simple line! I used to have Fanny Serrano's gel liner but it turned out that this one is better. FS' dries up and hardens quickly in the pot, while this one doesn't. Plus, FS smudges big time! MAC Fluidline on the other hand can last for more than 10 hours on me! I put it in the morning and there's no need to retouch until I go home.

For this look, I used an Artist Studio fine liner brush which I got from Landmark at Php 39.75.

MAC Cremesheen in Creme Cup

Last year was all about bold, hot, pink lipsticks for me. Talk about NARS Schiap and MAC Pink Nouveau as my daily power lipstick. I just adore how it brightens my face even without any other makeup involved. But after awhile, I kinda got tired of my Barbie pink lippies so I looked for something pale. And so I learned about MAC Cremesheen in Creme Cup (Rustans, Php 1000).

 

 

It was my first time to try a MAC Cremesheen lipstick and I must say I am loving it. It is not matte nor glossy, just somewhere in between, thus, it isn't drying but still has good staying power. MAC's Pink Nouveau has a Satin finish and it has a nice amount of moisture when you apply it. But mid-day I noticed that it tends to clump on my lips, making it look cracked. That's not the case with MAC Creme Cup. It feels like a lip balm with a nice color payoff.

 

 

Pros:

Nice pale pink color perfect for daily use, or to pair with bold or smokey eyeshadows

Good staying power. I reapply after 4 hours or after eating

Not drying

Nice smell

Cons:

Can look too washed-out when worn alone. Ideally, it should be worn with a statement blush or bold/smokey eye makeup

Price can turn some off (not me, definitely!)

 

lip swatch under flourescent lighting

hand swatch

With my satisfaction with MAC Creme Cup, I am now eyeing MAC Shy Girl or Ravishing as my next lippie haul. Help me choose please! I am NC30. =)

Product Spotlight: MAC Pink Nouveau

I need not describe MAC Pink Nouveau in details. Why? For me, there's only one description to this candy pink lippie: My Holy Grail Pink Lipstick.

I was hesitant to buy a tube at first because I still think that a thousand bucks for a lippie is impractical, especially if I will not wear it everyday. In my search for the perfect dupe, I have spent more than a thousand moolah, and yet failed to find the exact dupe (in shade and texture). So, I somehow regret not buying one afterall. 

And so I thought I will not wear it everyday. But I was wrong. It became by ever reliable pink lippie. If I am stressed, I would always say, "I need my power lipstick!". And by that I mean "I need my MAC Pink Nouveau!".

I love MAC's lipsticks in satin finish because the color payoff is excellent sans the flat and drying effect of the matte ones.

Lesson learned: It is not that bad to follow your impulse at times. =)

MAC Viva Glam VI

There came a time last month when I felt tired of my old pink Dior lipgloss and Burt’s Bees lip balm. It is as if one day, I woke up and suddenly I missed the warm nude lippie look. When I went out for an official business ( I work fulltime in the corporate world), I was able to pass by Marionnaud (this is my fave MAC store among others) and I asked the SA what nude lippie could she recommend. Something that I can wear everyday. She gave me the famous nude lippie “Hug Me”. I tried it and find it too light for my liking. I want something that will make my complexion look a little warm, even without using a bronzer on my cheeks. She let me try “Taupe” but I find too matte, though I know that it has nice staying power because of its pigment. Then she remembered she still has stocks of Viva Glam Series. I tried Viva Glam VI and I was inloved at it right away.

Viva Glam VI is a little warmer than Hug Me. It belongs to the “lustre’ family so it is not too opaque nor too sheer for me. It does not cracks my lips too because it has good hydrating powers! Since it is a “luster” lippie, staying power is good but not as longwearing as matte lippies. Overall, I think I will be able to finish this tube as it becomes my staple lippie. I want to try Viva Glam I (red) too but I am not sure if it is still available in Marionnaud. I hope MAC Viva Glam VI lippie will be retained in their regular line, for all eternity. =)

MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NW30

At last! My search for my HG undereye concealer is over. MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NW30 works wonders on my big dark undereye circles. When I went to MAC about a week ago to get my Viva Glam VI lippie, I tested the Studio Fix Foundation in NC30 and Studio Finish Concealer in NC30 and NW25. The SA back then was a bit clueless on what concealer shade would suit me. She tried NW25 and I find it a tad light for my undereyes. It makes it look more obvious. She tested NC30 on my left eye and at first, I liked the results. But when I turned around to face natural light, it looks grayish on me, thus, highlighting my undereyes, too. I didn’t buy the concealer then. Instead, I just grabbed my Viva Glam VI and went home.

I went again to Marionnaud in Mall of Asia last Friday and this time, a different SA assisted me. When I asked about what shade of concealer will hide my dark undereyes, she grabbed a pot of NW 25 and NW30. We tested NW25 first and it was too light, layered or not. When she put NW30 on me, I was amazed because it really hides my dark circles in just a few layers. So I did not hesitate to grab one.

When I came home, I tried applying it using my Suesh eyeshadow brush (since my concealer brush I ordered online hasn’t arrived yet). I faced the mirror and swipe some on my dark circles and I was really astonished to see that my dark circles vanished instantly! It was as if I am doing copy-paste from Adobe Photoshop. The shade is so right that I cannot even distinguished where the line ends (I haven’t blended the edges yet).

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Left: with concealer
Right: without concealer

The texture is creamy but not oily and the coverage is fantastic! Less is more with this concealer so you just need a dab and you are all set. I think this small pot will last a year on me. Even if I wear it for a whole day at work, it’s still intact. I even tried to put this concealer on top of Ellana’s Color Corrector in Innocence (the green one) to hide the red zits I had over the weekend. And I must say it really conceals well. But when I tried to set it with Ellana’s Sheer Velvet High Definition Powder in White Chocolate, the color turned warmer and it didn’t look good so I erased it again with a wet tissue and reapply the concealer then set it with my E.L.F. Mineral Foundation in Light. This technique is what I now use everyday.Closeup Left Eye with MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NW30



Closeup Right Eye without concealer

I am so in-love with this concealer now but I can’t wait to lay my hands on MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer which has so many nice reviews from other beauty enthusiasts. More beauty finds soon!

Edit (September 15, 2011): I have finished the entire pot after 2 years. 

Verdict:

Color- effectively cancels out my dark under eye circles. Needs a yellow toned powder to balance the pinkish tone

Coverage - medium to full coverage

Consistency - creamy and thick so it creases on my undereyes if applied without an eye cream.