Body Painting Japan #2
Body Painting Japan #3
Body Painting Japan #4A Tartan Tale Smoky Thrillseekers Glitter/Pigment Set
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| The A Tartan Tale Smoky Thrillseekers tin (Gah! Fingerprints, sorry!) |
How much do I love this set from MAC's A Tartan Tale holiday collection? I love this holiday collection to pieces (it's the combination of make-up, rock & roll and Scotland) and I don't think I've ever spent this much time and money on a single collection before!
This is the Smoky Thrillseekers Pigments/Glitter set, part of my latest (will it be my last?) haul, one of three pigment/glitter sets available in the A Tartan Tale collection. I was drawn to it immediately since most of the pigments it contains I've had my eye on for a long time but have never purchased.
Each pigment/glitter set contains one glitter and four pigments in tiny glass vials with screw-off lids. They're housed in adorable tartan metal tins emblazoned with a gold MAC crest.
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| A look inside. |
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Included in Smoky Thrillseekers are the pigments Naked (Permanent), Jigs & Jives (Limited Edition), Black Brown (Permanent), Dark Soul (Permanent) and the glitter Reflects Blackened Red (Permanent).
Pretty little vials, all in a row!
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| L-R: Naked, Jigs & Jives, Black-Brown, Dark Soul and Blackened Red |
And then I jumbled up the order to take this photo, oops.
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| L-R: Reflects Blackened Red, Naked, Black Brown, Jigs & Jives and Dark Soul |
See these glorious colours? Tones of dark red, blues, blacks, metallic taupe and warm fleshtones. Loads of shimmer too! Let's look at them one by one.
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| Reflects Blackened Red (Glitter) |
I tipped over the vial with my finger over the opening to get some of the glitter on my fingertip. I swatched my inside arm and took a photo of my fingertip with the product still on it for these photos as well as the swatch photos.
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| Swatched on my arm (NC15 skintone) |
I admit that I'm not 100% sure how I will be using this, but it's glitter and glitter doesn't come into my day-to-day beauty looks. I'll have to do some research into how I could use this. Anyone have any tips?
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| Dark Soul (pigment) |
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| Dark Soul on my finger |
See, it's a glimmery silvery black-grey with hints of blackened navy and gold. This would look smashing in a smoky eye look. It's like the night sky.
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| L-R: Blackened Red Reflects glitter and Dark Soul pigment |
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| Blue-Brown Pigment |
Blue-Brown Pigment (Permanent): Brown with blue-green pearl. This is the pigment version of Club eyeshadow, which I'm currently in love with. This pigment reminds me of gasoline and the wings of insects. It's stunning.
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| Blue-Brown on my finger |
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| L-R: Dark Soul pigment and Blue-Brown pigment |
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| Jigs & Jives Pigment |
Jigs & Jives (Limited Edition): Naked taupe. Named especially for this collection, this is a gorgeous metallic neutral that could be easily used as a highlighter on medium skintones. Jill's lusting after this shade, she's a sucker for metallic neutrals.
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| Jigs & Jives on my finger |
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| L-R: Blue-Brown pigment and Jigs & Jives pigment |
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| Naked Pigment |
This shade is wearable on every skintone, that's how soft and natural it is. I own this in the original size packaging and I wear it a lot. Dust it all over your cheekbones for a touch of shimmer and on your browbone for a natural glow.
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| Naked on my finger |
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| L-R: Jigs & Jives and Naked |
I love, love, love this set!!! (can you tell?)
Bare Escentuals High Shine Eye Colour in Glisten
I was on vacation in San Francisco recently and although the shopping was surprisingly kept at a minimum, I did find a Bare Escentuals Boutique at the Macy's near Union Square. It just so happened they were launching a new product the following day, their new High Shine Eyecolour, so I made a point of returning.
Their High Shine Eyecolours are glistening loose powder eyeshadows that unlike the regular Bare Escentuals eyeshadows come in a tube with a spongetip applicator similar to many cream or liquid eyeshadows on the market. There are six shades - Electric (Deep Teal), Glisten (Golden Sand), Patina (Golden Khaki), Moonshine (Deep Plum), Frost (Silver) and Bronzed (Bronze Brown).
I picked up Glisten.
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| Bare Escentuals High Shine Eyecolour in Glisten |
The back of the box says: "Get high-intensity sheen from the naturally vibrant pigments of 100% pure bareMinerals High Shine Eyecolours. Free of preservatives and chemical irritants, the ultra-smooth formula glides on effortlessly for an extra creamy, opaque finish full of glistening, foiled effect."
Glisten is a soft, silvery taupe shade, very pretty and of the six, the most neutral and wearable. A safe choice, perhaps but you'll see how insanely shiny it is if you scroll down! It takes some chutzpah to pull off this much shine.
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| Sponge-tip applicator |
The packaging is very good. Loose powders can be very messy and by including the applicator as part of the package, it minimizes the mess and ensures the applicator will be ready to use as soon as you open the tube. Also, with the lid of the tube as the handle of the brush, it's easier to use than the standard tiny applicator that tend to come with products.
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| Close-up of the applicator |
Are you ready for the shine? This stuff is seriously, seriously high shine. They're not lying. This is hardcore metallic shine for your eyes. It can be blended down with a brush or your finger if you like and would look amazing on a nighttime eye look.
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| Glisten swatched on NC15 skintone |
See? Crazy metallic foil shine. It's glorious, isn't it? I love it! It's almost like it's liquid.
It goes on very smoothly and the texture is silky and creamy. The spongetip applicator doesn't get right down to the lashline, so you'll want to use a brush to blend it down if that's the look you're going for. There can be quite a bit of fallout from these as well, so beware of product landing along the top of your cheekbone. This can be remedied by waiting until after to apply your foundation or by patting a line of loose powder along the top of your cheekbones to catch any fallout. You can also start with a little product and build it up and apply gently to minimize the fallout.
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| Another angle |
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| Buffed down with my finger |
As I said, it can be blended with a brush or a finger so that it's less metallic and harsh. The above photo is after I've buffed it right down with my finger and you can see it's still got the shine and colour, but it's more like a normally shiny eyeshadow.
My verdict? I'm drawn to shine like a magpie but it can be difficult to wear. Shine picks up every little bump and crevice as you can see in the swatches above. You can see all the little lines and crevices on the skin on my hand. It will do the same on your lids, so be aware. Many make-up artists will recommend that older women should stay away from this much shine, simply because it picks up on wrinkles and lines that normally should be minimized, so this is a look for someone with smooth eyelids.
For me, I'll wear this in moderation and pair it with other shadows such as in a brown smoky eye.
What do you think? Has anyone picked up one of Bare Escentuals High Shine Eyecolours? Love it? Hate it? How do you wear it?
C.
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