Eye make-up look challenge: electric blue, acid yellow

When this little YSL eyeshadow duo reached me, I knew I had to create a look using both together. I love the brightness in this Ombre duolumieres in 37 – electric yellow and royal blue.

The pigmentation is good, I had to put quite a bit of yellow to build it up. The combination is just great! I decided to do an exaggerated cat eye and add a blue eyebrow – why not?!

Have to say I did this pretty quick, about 10 minutes per eye, and here is how I did it:

1. I prepped my lid and using a pencil brush I applied the blue creating a smokey line on about 3/4 above my crease, pulling it at the edges to create the huge flick at the end.

2. From the other corner, I pulled another line to meet the one coming from the crease, and filled the shape with blue, but just on the flick, not on lids.

3. Using an applicator brush, I saturated the whole lid with yellow, blending the edges with the blue on the crease then pulling the colour towards the temple, within the blue, creating a similar shape to the blue.

4. Using a liner brush, I applied blue on the lower water and lash lines. I applied some yellow to the inner corner and blended in with the blue.

5. I then, with the pencil brush, brought the above the crease blue line to the inside of my nose bridge, creating a subtle hook shape below the inner corner. I then carefully applied a little bit of yellow on the inside of this line.

6. I applied a highlighter to the brow bone.

6. I added some mascara to my lashes and then a set of false lashes.

7. Finally, I filled my eyebrows with the royal blue, keeping the strong shape but giving it more definition and colour, of course!

Products I used:

Yves Saint Laurent Ombre Duolumieres eyeshadow duo in 37 – electric yellow and royal blue
MAC pigment in vanilla
MAC Extended Play extra black mascara
Blank Canvas double ended brushes E23, E25, E27 and E30
MAC brush 208
Eldora false lashes in H149
Duo eyelash glue
Urban Decay eyeshadow primer potion

Difficulty:

Product review: new foundation trial – YSL x Urban Decay

My little samples

My foundation has been purchased from MAC for a good eight years. I have been through almost every foundation they have, seriously, no joke – Select FPS 15, Face and Body, Mineralize Satinfinish, Studio Fix Fluid – and at the moment I am wearing Matchmaster, which I really like.

Foundation is very important for me; I have it on my face pretty much everyday, so I am quite particular: I like a medium coverage that you can build up, natural looking, hard-wearing, that doesn’t aggravate skin conditions and fells nice on.

Being a fan of Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat, I was really looking forward to trying their new foundation, Le Teint Touche Éclat, which retails for £28. After reading several reviews and seeing it described as “magic”, “revolutionary” and so on, I decided maybe it was time to leave MAC and venture into a new world of foundation.

So I booked myself a colour match appointment at the YSL counter and went in full of hope. Foundation aside, I was bitterly disappointed and frankly, infuriated. The beauty assistant treated me soooo badly. The first question she asked, before anything was “Do you actually intend to buy the product or are you just gonna try?” Rude. I politely replied I used another brand but wanted to try something different; if I liked it, would purchase. She looked unimpressed and didn’t even tell me about the product and the technology, criticised me for wearing powder (without explaining that you shouldn’t with this new foundation, as this is what it was taken away!) and was usually quite abrupt on her comments. And it got worse when I asked for a sample. Anyway, after insisting I left with a sample, which I tried for a few days.

Rant over, now to the foundation: it is not for me. It spreads and blends well, the consistency is medium; not too thick nor too thin. Its coverage is very, very light, so if that is what works for you, you will probably love this one. I struggled to build it up to a level that I feel good about. Also, because the formula has taken the powder finish out of it, I felt it was a bit sticky on my face,. The finish wasn’t great on me, it didn’t photograph well; as I mentioned before, my skin is far from flawless, so I wear foundation to diminish visible problems – but unfortunately you could see everything I want my foundation to conceal in the pictures!

The second product I tried in the past weeks was the new Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition liquid make-up, by Urban Decay, which retails for £27. The consistency of this foundation is quite fluid, and I though the coverage was going to be super light, as it is more liquid than the YSL.

I came across this sample because I wanted to buy the Urban Decay’s All Nighter long-lasting Make-up Setting Spray (which I will review soon) and the outrageously lovely girl at the counter (take a lesson here, YSL) offered me the sample (and another lesson here). I also left with a sample of the Eyeshadow Primer Potion (which will be reviewed alongside the ones I have been using) – mind you, she didn’t have any samples but she put some in a little pot so I wouldn’t leave without it. THAT’S GOOD SERVICE.

So back to the foundation; the coverage is actually a light-medium, maybe a bit too light for me, but buildable. It has a nice finish to it, they describe it as demi-matte, and I actually quite like it, it looks fresh and natural on me. A serious contender to bump Mac’s crown off, I’ll keep wearing it and will make up my mind when my current bottle is over!

A couple of things to learn here:

I refuse to be mistreated, so I put a complaint with YSL and the department store. YSL is yet to reply. The department store, even though I knew from the offset that the beauty counter staff are not their direct employees, was extremely apologetic in their response.
How important it is to try products properly before investing in them. Each skin likes different products, so always worth bearing that in mind when thinking “uh, she said it is bad” or “she said it is great!”. Try it, that’s why they have samples. Just go in and ask!

What about you? Have you tried any of the foundations above? What did you think? Or do you love another brand?

21Oct2011

Product review: YSL Volume Effet Faux-Cils mascara

Posted in Beauty, Make Up by Dani - So Many Lovely Things

I have been using Maybelline mascaras for quite sometime now, and I find them so good that it was love at first brushing – I forgot all about my long-standing affair with the Lancome ones.

When faced with the opportunity to get the Yves Saint Laurent Volume Effet Faux-Cils mascara, I did so almost reluctantly, as I was very happy with my Falsies.

It had been sitting in my make up drawer for months, unopened and unused, so I decided it was high time to crack it open, and was pleasantly surprised with the outcome.

It does indeed give you volume, good separation and length; even though the brush is quite bushy, it doesn’t clump. It has a surprisingly nice smell (had never seen a mascara with a slight fragrance!) and the tub is lush (although I keep confusing it with my Touche Eclat!)

Even after rubbing my watery eyes for most of the day (the computer screen is really irritating them, as I left my glasses at home) the mascara seems to hold well, and best of all, I didn’t turn into a panda. This means it has good staying power, and even after a long day at work, simply washing your face with a good face wash won’t do, so an efficient eye make up remover is a must.

eyes with and without YSL Volume Effet Faux Cils mascara

I really like this mascara, but will this be enough for me to leave my beloved Maybelline Falsies behind? Probably not, as value for money is greater with the Falsies (£8.19) and the difference in results is little or none, but this YSL (£22.00) definitely has a deserving place in my heart – and my make up bag!