Eyeshadow Archives » Alina Avery

Viseart Neutral Matte Eyeshadow Palette

November 19, 2015 by Alina Avery Leave a Comment

Ok, the video streak has ended.

Instead, I offer you a review of another product I picked up during the Sephora VIB Rouge sale. I actually bought a number of things online, and two in store, but wanted to give them an honest and thorough trial before blogging them. One that’s impressed me right off the bat: The Viseart Neutral Matte Eyeshadow Palette.

It’s safe to say now that this palette and I are getting along great. I’ve had a love/hate relationship with palettes since I started getting into makeup. Originally, I was drawn in by the great value, pre-matched shades and pretty packaging. Later, I started seeing drawbacks. Palettes would be missing a key shade, so you needed other single eyeshadows or another palette to finish a look. Or some shades would get completely used up (ok, not completely, but heavily!) and others would go untouched. I’ve been a bit jaded by the palette market over the past few years, preferring to build my own MAC, Urban Decay, or Z-Palettes (the new NARS Pro Palettes are still calling my name)!

But the Viseart Palette attracted me for a number of reasons. First, it has a whole range of shades from pale cream to solid black, with plenty of both warm and cool shades in between. Second, it’s totally matte, which makes it really versatile for day/night/work/weekends. And finally, it’s gotten fantastic reviews from Anna and Christine and on Sephora.com.

The Viseart Neutral Matte Eyeshadow Palette wears a hefty price tag. Ringing in at $80 full price, it costs more than any of the Urban Decay Naked palettes, and is on par with palettes from Guerlain and YSL (but the Viseart boasts more shades). With the 20% discount however, it came down to $64 which is much more reasonable and on par for other similar palettes. Full price it’s under $7 a pan and on sale it was less than $6 so it’s about what you’d pay for a similar palette from Inglot. The packaging isn’t really all that much to write home about, but I like that you can see all of the shades even when it’s closed. It’s compact and sturdy, so I don’t feel worried about handling it, and there isn’t too much extra space between pans (or too little)! There are 12 shades in the palette, which can be used to blend, contour, or shade the eyes. You can go for a no-makeup look, using the lighter shades to conceal redness and even the tone of bare eyelids, or really go for a smoky eye using the darker shades.

My favorite looks have been: working from light to dark, blend shades into the crease with progressively smaller brushes to create a defined, sculpted eye. Or working from dark to light, apply a tiny bit of black shadow along the outer third of the lashline. Choose a lighter color and a fluffier brush and blend that out, extending to the outer half of the eye. Continue expanding and blending with lighter and lighter colors until you create a blown out wing shape for a wearable, daytime smoky eye.

Three of my favorite shades have been Canelle, Cafe, and Tabac (swatched above L-R) which are the first in the top row, last in the middle row, and last in the bottom row respectively. I’ve been loving mixing the last two to create a warmer or cooler shade depending on the other makeup I’m wearing, and the first one makes a great all over lid color if I’m going for a bare faced look or even just into the crease as a transition shade.

The quality of the shadows is great, they are pigmented, smooth, blendable and buildable. I’ve been wearing them with the NARS Smudgeproof Pro Primer which has been my eye base of choice for everything for years, and I get more than 12 hours worth of wear out of them, with a bit if smudging but no creasing or fading. The colors appear true to pan when swatched.

On the downside, I probably could have replicated this palette with other shades from my collection. I have a lot of matte single shadows that I love from Laura Mericer, MAC, Inglot, and Urban Decay, as well as similar shades to these across other palettes, but it’s nice to have everything from dark to light and cool to warm in one place. I pretty much have been wearing this palette and this palette alone since I received it.

Overall, is it worth the large price tag? If you’re going to use it all of the time, appreciate professional quality cosmetics, and wear a mix of cool and warm shadows, then maybe. I’d repurchase it because I find myself getting a lot of use out of it and I love how versatile it is, but you might get the same results with a less expensive product, especially if you want to combine mattes with satin or shimmery shades.

November Birchbox 2015 Unboxing

November 12, 2015 by Alina Avery Leave a Comment

I feel like I JUST got my October box, but none-the-less, my November Birchbox has arrived.

I’ll say it now – I’m THRILLED with this box.

November’s theme is “Feeling Fancy” and I definitely am with this box. I love the cool floral pattern and the metallic copper logo is gorgeous. This is one of my favorite box designs so far this year (after the Rifle Paper Co box of course)!

On to the samples!

The first thing I noticed was the Living Proof Perfect Hair Day (PhD) Dry Shampoo. This might be my holy grail dry shampoo. At least of the spray on variety. The scent is the same as most Living Proof products that I’ve tried (it’s gorgeous) and this stuff actually WORKS. It will look white/powdery when you first apply, but the trick is to let it set for 30 seconds and then massage it in to absorb oil. My hair feels actually clean and not full of product when I use this. It takes a bit more work but it’s so worth it. I’m on Day 3 hair right now and you’d never know it thanks to this product. So obsessed. I’ll definitely be repurchasing the full size once this runs out.

Next up, the TempleSpa La La Lagoon Bath and Shower Gel. I actually haven’t tried this as a shower gel yet, but I don’t think I will because I’m really not into the scent. It’s a pretty product and a great sized sample but I don’t think it’s for me. Here’s the thing though, I love getting samples in my Birchbox of products that I dislike. It gives a lot of clarity to what will work for me and what won’t, so I feel better informed when I’m shopping. For example, I’m not in love with the scent of this shower gel. The Birchbox website says it has “Thyme, Aloe Vera, Bitter Orange, Basil, Peppermint, Guaiac, Coriander, Nutmeg”. Therefore, I know which scent combinations don’t work for me. The point of paying for a service like Birchbox isn’t to just get products every month for $10, it’s also to discover what does and doesn’t work for you. The dry shampoo did, and this shower gel didn’t. You’re paying for the opportunity to try new things.

Ok, rant over.

Next: Birchbox’s newest launch, LOC One-and-Done Shadow Stick in Impress Me. This was my sample choice pick. It’s a great product. I don’t know exactly how unique it is, but It’s definitely wearable and versatile and easy to apply. I’ll be testing it out for wear time and creasing and all of that good stuff soon. It’s interesting to see Birchbox launch their own line of products, and very smart in my opinion. Birchbox knows exactly where the gaps in the market are because they get so much feed back from customers every month, so they can really deliver a product that people are interested in. They have a great opportunity here to do some fun things with the LOC line. I’m excited to see what comes next!

I also received MAKE Face Gloss. I’ve actually trie this product before and really like it. It’s a multipurpose glossy balm that can be applied to get that glossy eye look that’s so trendy right now, or to add a cheek highlight without a single speck of shimmer, or to make lips look fuller and poutier. You can even sweep it through brows to make the hairs look a bit glossier and fuller. It’s a really interesting product and a great sized sample since you only need a tiny bit. If you’re after a glowy or dewy look, this is your product.

And finally, Liz Earle Superskin Moisturizer. Liz Earle’s cleanse and polish has been a best seller since it launched in the Birchbox shop and has set them up as a staple for great skin care. This moisturizer is pretty heavier, so it’ll make a great night cream for the winter months, but might be a bit heavy to wear every day or under makeup, at least for my combination-oily skin. The quality of the packaging and the size of the sample are really impressive though. It really feels like a luxury product.

Really happy with the contents of this month’s box! I think the assortment and quality of the products is perfect and this is the second month in a row where I’ve really felt great about everything. Keep it up, Birchbox! You’re making me proud! Want to sign up for Birchbox? Get $5 off your first box here.

September Favorites

October 5, 2015 by Alina Avery Leave a Comment

Before we get too far into October and this becomes irrelevant…

I don’t know if I’m going to do monthly favorites. It feels a little repetitive since it’s rare that I find anything life changing, but I haven’t listed my general favorites since my holy grails, so I thought now could be a good time. Here’s what I’ve been loving lately, my September favorites!

Again, the R+Co Badlands Dry Shampoo Paste. I couldn’t not include it after raving here, here, and here. Like I mentioned before, a little goes a long way to help style dry, wet, clean, or dirty hair. It’s so versatile and pretty much the only thing I’ve been putting in my hair lately.

Sticking with hair care, the Christophe Robin Cleansing Purifying Scrub. This is a scrub for your hair and scalp that really does balance any oil, grease, or dryness. My scalp has always been dry and sensitive even though my hair gets greasy pretty easily, and this has really worked for me. It’s a little tricky to massage in the large salt crystals, but they eventually dissolve to create a thick, luxe lather. I use this every 2-3 times I wash my hair, and wash my hair every 2-3 days, so I end up using this a few times a month. It’s expensive ($52), but at that rate this should last me at least 6 months, which seems about right for the amount I’ve used since purchasing in August. I picked this up from BeautyHabit via Amazon, but Sephora just started carrying the brand and I’m so excited to try other products from the line, especially the temporary color masks.

Moving on to skin care, the Fresh Black Tea Instant Perfecting Mask has been on weekly rotation. It has the texture of mashed potatoes, which is kind of strange, but it’s a really lovely product. It tingles slightly but very gently and rinses clean leaving skin soft and smooth. Another pricey pick but again, a little goes a long way.

Similarly soothing and stimulating for skin, the Caudalie Beauty Elixir is one of those cult products that I never really bought into until recently. I’ve been loving using this mist as the last step in my skincare routine or to refresh throughout the day. I only bought the small size since I wasn’t sure how I was going to like it, but I’m almost out, so the big version might be in my near future.

On to makeup products, the Clinique Chubby Lash Fattening Mascara is potentially a new holy grail. It’s a deep black color and a very dramatic look, making lashes look thick and long and defined. Clinique almost always nails it when it comes to mascaras and this is no exception. It’s also pretty affordable for a high-end mascara. I’ve been reaching for it every day. I only wish it was slightly more water resistant.

Jouer Matte Moisture Tint is the perfect summer to fall transition foundation. It’s still light and sheer so your summer tan, faded as it might be, still shows through. It’s matte, but not flat, and hydrating but not heavy. I’ve been mixing it with an illuminator to hang on to summer a bit longer and have been loving the effect. I wear the shade nude.

Finally, my friend Lisa and I have been raving over the Urban Decay eyeshadows all month. I’ve been using my UD palette almost daily. The three staple shades, ABC Gum, Secret Service, and Blackout stay in the palette constantly as I use them as base shadow, eyebrow powder, and liner respectively, but the other shades rotate a bit more. Lately, I’ve been loving Solstice, my newest shade, a “Moondust” formula with pink-green duo-chrome glitter which is a lot more wearable than it sounds. I also have Freelove, a peachy-pink satin, and a Chopper, copper shimmer, in there currently.

Swatches, left to right: Chopper, Freelove, and Solstice.

What have your favorite products been this month?

Holiday Beauty Sets

September 30, 2015 by Alina Avery Leave a Comment

Ok yes, it’s insane that “holiday” sets are being announced (and even released!) in September.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t wishlist the crap of them. Holiday Beauty sets have some of the coolest limited edition shades and products, usually at an incredible value. Here are my picks (so far) for this year!

First, these Guerlain Snowflake Meteorites:

Guerlain
Meteorites Perles des Neiges – $80

OMG if that’s not the most perfect winter makeup ever. Serious lust for this one. These Guerlain perles are a classic, if a little difficult to use. I think this would be the most amazing setting/finishing powder for cold weather – slightly shimmery, a bit of glow, like you’ve been out for a walk in the snow. So gorgeous.

Then, the Marc Jacobs eyeshadow palette of your dreams:

Marc Jacobs Beauty
Style Eye-Con No. 20 – Plush Eyeshadow – $99

It’s no secret I love the MJB eyeshadow formula, and this is a great value. The colors here seem a bit random (and every one of the top row is going to look exactly the same on my skin) but there’s a good variety in here in terms of colors and finishes. The price is steep but it looks like the perfect palette for traveling since you have a million different looks all in one palette (and it looks like maybe a GIANT mirror).

Next, this lust-worthy Laura Mercier Bronzer Trio:

Laura Mercier
Blush & Glow Radiant Face Trio – $58

A “matte” highlight and bronzer and a shimmery bronzer AND a travel brush?!?!??! Also, I say “matte” because Laura Mercier says “matte” but there is some obvious, if subtle shimmer in these. Which is fine by me but if you’re looking for a true matte bronzer, this isn’t it. Also I LOVE LOVE LOVE the tortoise packaging. Major heart eye emoji for this baby.

Also, this Bite Beauty Lip Set for every lip occasion ever:

Bite Beauty
Discovery Set – $55

So much variety here! The Agave Lip Mask is one of my favorites and I wore the lipstick shade from this set (Pepper) at my wedding. It’s a perfect my-lips-but-better shade for me, so a backup is always welcome. I’m fascinated by the lip wipes and the clear primer. I feel like I’d use everything in this set which isn’t super common when it comes to block busters like these.

The Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder and Blush motherlode:

Hourglass
Ambient Lighting Edit – $80

I’m actually not sure about this. All of these products are lovely but I’m not sure I’d want them all in the same palette. You’re going to use up the setting powders way faster than the blushes and bronzer, but this would make a great travel kit. The packaging is gorgeous and like I said, all of these products are hits in my book. Regardless, I’m happy to see more blush palettes popping up!

And finally, this Peter Thomas Roth trio of adorable mascaras:

Peter Thomas Roth
Lashes To Die For™ Mascara Trio – $45

This mascara is actually amazing. I’ve used a few tubes of it over the years and am always pleased with the results. It may or may not actually make your lashes longer and stronger, but it’s a great mascara in general. Thick and lush lashes without clumping! A trio of smaller sizes is actually genius because you’ll never use up a whole tube before it expires or dries out. This way you can keep two sealed and pristine while you fall in love with the first one. Love it.

Do you have your eye on any limited edition products for holiday? I’m dying to see what comes out as part of the Urban Decay x Gwen Stefani collab.

September Birchbox 2015

September 11, 2015 by Alina Avery Leave a Comment

I used to work at Birchbox. Which was really cool but also it kind of ruined the experience of getting a Birchbox. I knew way ahead of time what the product assortment was for the month and even what was going to be in my box. The delight was still there, but the surprise was lacking.

Since I left back in May it’s been a lot more exciting to get a monthly box. If you don’t know, Birchbox is a beauty ecommerce website that also has a subscription sample service where you can get 5 deluxe samples sent to you in a pretty box every month. You can review those samples for points and redeem those points towards full size products. I recently did a fairly large order with my points, so a Birchbox haul coming soon!

Want to see what was in this month’s box?

The box theme is “Better Together” and celebrates Birchbox’s 5 year anniversary and of course the subscribers that made that possible. This isn’t my favorite of the themed boxes from this year, but I do love that all of the boxes have been designed instead of the old kraft brown (are those collectors editions now?)

On to the samples!

POP Beauty POP Portfolio Eyeshadow – Sugar Plum. Full size $26.

I’m happy about this. The shades aren’t too outrageous and I’ve actually gotten a POP eyeshadow trio in my Birchbox before but it was shattered when it arrived, so I’m looking forward to actually getting to try out the formulas. The full size has 36 shades, so it’s a great value.

amika Bombsell Blowout Spray. Full size $24.

I’m all about the round brush blowout right now. I’m finally getting into teaching myself how to do it and the results aren’t half bad! Looking forward to trying out this spray. I’ve received the amika Dry Shampoo in a previous box and love the way it smells and it works amazingly well, so high hopes for this!

dr. brandt pores no more cleaner. Full size $35.

Meh. I’ve tried this cleanser before, but not through Birchbox. I find it a bit too harsh for my skin. It’s a good size and value though so I can’t say I’m unhappy.

100% Pure Organic Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream. Full size $25.

Caffeine is supposed to have some benefits for your skin. I’m not sure how effective it is when applied topically, though. I’m interested in this being natural and the sample is a good size too.

Harvey Prince Eau So Divine. Full size $26-55.

As far as fragrance samples go, this one is a larger size and has a spray nozzle so that’s a plus. The scent is very feminine and a bit summery, so not sure how much I’ll wear it now that the weather is cooling down. I don’t think I’d shell out for the full size but the sample is nice!

What do you think of my box?

Unexpectedly Great Eyeshadow Colors for Brown Eyes

March 29, 2015 by Alina Avery 1 Comment

One of my favorite things about having brown eyes is that they are incredibly neutral, and allow for lots of experimentation with different eyeshadow colors. Here are a few I’ve tried that I wouldn’t expect to work, but found surprisingly beautiful. Of course, these are shadows where I found the quality to be impressive, too.

1) Clinique All About Shadow in Black Honey

I have this in the single, but can’t find it on Sephora. It’s a hero color for Clinique, especially for their lip products, but works amazingly on eyes as well. The blackened burgundy, slightly shimmery shade has just the right amount of warmth and depth to make eyes pop and the red-brown tone is surprisingly wearable and neutral. I especially liked this one when my hair was either very dark or very light. I don’t reach for it as often now that my hair is a bit redder since that’s sometimes too much red, but it’s still a gorgeous shade. It looks great with a slightly heavier contour and a super shiny lipgloss.

2) Marc Jacobs Beauty Style Eye-Con No.7 in Night Owl

Specifically, the third shade in this palette is BOSS. This goldenrod shade is so unique. I haven’t seen a true dupe for it. Probably because no one would expect a yellow-gold eyeshadow to be wearable, let alone pretty, but it looks amazing on brown eyes, and the formula is super soft, blendable, and pigmented. It brightens eyes and draws attention to them without being too bold. I’d finish the look with a shimmery nude blush, a matte lip, and a whole ton of black mascara. Confession time: I bought the whole palette just for this color. And I don’t regret it.

3) ARDENCY INN MODSTER Manuka Honey Enriched Pigments in Peacock

This is a duochrome shade that shifts between metallic brown and shimmery green. It catches light beautifully and works especially well as a liner, but since it shifts color based on what angle you’re looking at it from, it can be blended all over the contours of the eye to give a seamlessly blended multi shade look with just one product. The color isn’t super unique; I think MAC Club and Blue Brown pigment (a loose pigment) are similar, as well as Nars Malacca and Kat Von D On the Road (maybe discontinued?), but the Ardency Inn formula is spot on. Pair with a red lip for a night out or a soft pink blush for the daytime.

Here are swatches of 1, 2 and 3 from left to right. I took shots in natural light from a few different angles so you can really catch the duochrome in Peacock:

And a quick snap of me in the Marc Jacobs shadow (an actual stealth snap from my desk) to let you know just how passionate I am about this color: