NYC indivudual eyes: Smokin' palette

(Available here and from Superdrug stores for £3.99)

New York Colour is a range brought over to the UK relatively recently and are good quality products at low quality prices - similar to the MUA range that is so often talked about as of late.
These palettes come in three colours - brown eyes, blue eyes and green eyes - although the only one available in my local store was the blue eyes (mine are green). The palette itself comes with a primer, illuminator and 4 colours to highlight and contour eyes. It claims to identify and highlight specific eye colours.

The palette itself comes with instructions on the back as to how to effectively create a smoky eye which is like a mini tutorial and perfect for people that aren't sure how to apply eye colour. For me though, my eyes are small so I prefer not contourign with such a dark colour and use the highlight as a base colour to blend into. This is, of course, up to the individual.

The colours themselves range from a gold to a slightly darker and more steel shade and then onto a dark gold and finally a warm brown. Unfortunately, I have a vice against glittery eyeshadows and prefer more matte colours although these are not overly glittery and add a hint of shimmer as opposed to all over.

Unfortunately, as my eyes are green, I cannot determine as to whether it intensifies eye colour although I can't imagine it does too much work on colour itself but instead the shades compliment each other. This is a gorgeous smoky eye kit that is slightly more subtle than using darker black shades. The palette is perfect for 'first time blenders' that have not worked with a full kit before and, considering the price tag, it's a good little find!

MUA Trio Shadow : Smoke Screen

(available from MUA store or superdrug for £2.50)

The MUA brand is one I think has been needed for a long time. So many 'cheaper' products reflect the prices - they might be affordable but they compromise quality for price. MUA is a range that doesn't do this - the pricing is very much for for those on a budget - however, the quality itself is brilliant. They began with the £1 range and this spread to slightly more expensive products including eyeshadow palettes, foundations and BB creams. 

I purchased this in 'Smoke Screen' as I was looking for the perfect smoky eye and this gave me the chance to have it in one palette rather than fiddling around with 3 different shades. One of the beautiful things about MUA is that their website is fully functioning with masses of information about their product and reviews -something really attractive especially when attempting to blog about a product. The package itself is subtle but sharp for such a cheap product. Its plastic outside can look a little tacky but the black and silver writing makes it look very professional and smart and adds a touch of class to the product.

There is a description of how to use the product on the back of the packaging which is a perfect guidance of how to wear. It's claims include (in summary):

• They all have subtle shimmer but are sparkly enough to satisfy a glitter craving
• They're soft but still durable and will hold up pigmentation wise for hours
• They're long wearing and beautiful

Again, online, there is advice as to how to wear the product. I must say I agree with all the claims they've made. Considering the price the colours are very well pigmented, especially the colour black which, in other brands, fades very quickly and is disappointing but MUA stays on for a good 6+ hours. They also blend together really well to create a perfect smoky eye. They do have a shimmer which I usually hate but it's so subtle that it doesn't affect my like of this product too much. If it looks a little much I just swipe a little 'stay matte' over the top and it dulls it down a little.

This brush comes with it which I'd like to rave about as well. Although it's a little fiddly I use the right side for eyeshadow and the left, which is slightly narrower and slimmer, for the inner corners of my eye with the pearl colour. As well, I use this to put on the darker colour as eyeliner which makes a change from the harsh look of pencil liner.

As you can see the eyeshadows are well pigmented. They fade into each other (when blended properly) to provide a beautiful smoky eye. My only quarm is that I generally prefer gold rather than the pearly-white they offer but that's to the individual's taste. There are a choice of 7 shades which is perfect to adapt to whatever style you want. Well done MUA for creating such a beautiful product at an affordable price.

OUT WITH THE OLD - Collection 2000 Granite Eyeshadow

(i obtained this from cheapsmells.com for just £1.79 which seems to be the only place that stock this older model)

In the past year I've adopted a more 'smoky' eye look using gold that blends into a black sweeping over my eyelids. Before now I've been using a cheap but effective unknown eyeshadow that came free with a magazine. I finally thought it was time to put a bit of money into my eyeshadow and treat myself to this Collection 2000 shade in Granite.

It states it is 'crease resistant' and 'lasts for up to 8 hours'. This is something I definitely look for as my gold eyeshadow lasts a long time but without the black to blend into the look definitely becomes tiresome and weary and much less dramatic.

The palette itself is quite dull and boring and I'm glad they've updated with a more see-through plastic look recently which makes it look less blocky and dull. The palette itself is a black colour with slight hints of glitter streaking through although not so much that it overpowers the colour. A sponge applicator is provided but I find it far too big to use on eyes and end up smudging the eyeshadow a fair bit so I prefer to use my own brushes and use this applicator just to blend the colours in the middle slightly.

Now for the comparison...

When put side by side it is clear that the free eyeshadow (picture on the left) is far more glittery. Upon further use though the glitter is not excessive when on the eyelid and is actually a lot more subtle than it appears. This texture instead makes the eyeshadow more grainy which helps it stay on the eyelid a little while longer as it's quite tough.

As you can see from the swatches the collection 2000 eyeshadow (right) is far more pigmented and more of a solid colour whereas the freebie is glittery and can look tacky after too much build up of colour.

Although my free eyeshadow was great as a starter to see whether my small eyes could take such a heavy colour I'll definitely be using my collection 2000 eyeshadow now. It's really good value for money and helps bring out my smoky eye look perfectly!

Rimmel Glam'Eyes Mono Eyeshadow - Gold Rush

(retailing at £4.49 from Boots)

Rimmel states Glam'Eyes Mono Eye Shadow is a 'soft, silky formula for smooth and intense colour' and it is 'long-lasting' without 'creasing or fading'. I always buy eyeshadows in gold as I generally wear a smoky eye using a black and blending them together in the middle. I was desperately in need of a gold colour and my time of buying this eyeshadow and thought this would be perfect!

Shade #180 - Gold Rush

Unfortunately this eyeshadow left much to be desired. The colour itself is hardly pigmented at all (as you can see from the swatches at the bottom, it barely shows up on my skin) and looks more glittery and shimmery rather than having an actual eyeshadow to work with. Intense is definitely not the word I'd use to describe the colour - rather lacklustre. It definitely didn't last very long either and seemed to have disappeared after just 2 hours, although it didn't blend very well in the first place!
I definitely won't be using Rimmel again, I've had difficulties with their eyeshadows before and won't be going back.

Good for: Adding subtle colour to eyes
Bad for: A long-lasting, pigmented colour to make eyes stand out 

Don't judge an eyeshadow palette by its box!

So a long while ago now I popped into a big Boots store in my area and my eyes hooked onto this beautiful eyeshadow palette as a Boots own product. The owl design is absolutely gorgeous. It looks classy and elegant and like it will be a beautiful addition to my make-up collection.

Upon opening the box the theme was consistent, an idea which reflects the palette itself and has been very thought out, and the colours looked shimmery and bold but still subtle on my eyes. There is a mixture of what I'd specify as 'day and night' shades. The paler blues and white is perfect for a soft daytime look that will complement my eyes and the metallic silver and purples look bold for a statement evening look and can mix up a smoky eye. 

However, imagine my disappointment when I tried out these eyeshadows only to find that they were so pale and shimmery that they barely showed up on my eyes let alone stood out or looked half as bold or as spectacular as I thought. Below are some of the swatches I tried out, despite that I've sharpened the image you can barely see them. The formula is very weak and the eyeshadows are so powdery and light that it's a wonder how they'd spread across my eyelid.

This has definitely taught me that you shouldn't pick something up just because it looks pretty. This product failed me and I'll definitely think twice about picking up a palette just because I like the owl on the front! Has anyone else done something similar? 

Good for: A striking handbag look
Bad for: Pigmentation