L'Oreal HIP #35 Moon Goddess comprises a dusky mauve pink paired with a matte blackened navy. The dusky pink has a satin finish. This is one of four new duos from the Midnight Muse collection.
Moon Goddess looked quite dull in the pan compared to the other HIP duos that have a shiny metallic finish. Nevertheless, I decided to pick it up just to experiment with since it is part of a limited edition collection that is unlikely to make it to Singapore. As it turns out, it actually creates a lovely ladylike smoky eye.
After prepping my lids with Beauté de Kosé Eye Fantasist BL952 Blue Wonder, I used the included sponge applicator to apply the dusky pink over the eye socket area and along the lower lashline, followed by the blackened navy along the upper lashline and outer corner of the lower lashline. Next, I brushed the light beige shade from Dior Sky Glow over the browbone area, at the inner corners and along the lower lashline.
Then I applied MAC Superslick Liquid Eye Liner in Marked for Glamour along the upper lashline, Visee Lash Wide Impact (Curl Long) BK002 mascara and Benefit It Stick over the under-eye area.
The blackened navy causes quite a bit of fallout on the under eye area when being applied but after cleaning it up, there was no further fallout for the rest of the day. I liked how well it blended with the dusky pink shade. It applies sheer on the first swipe but becomes quite intense with the second layer.
For the rest of the look, I used several items that Kas helped me to haul from last week's Kosé sale: Esprique Precious Dramatical Veil Liquid BO300 over the Moisturizing Base and Beauté de Kosé Rouge Fantasist PK809 Carmine Pink. The Rouge Fantasists were going for just S$10 a piece at the sale, while the foundation was S$24 and the base was S$30. My favourite items from the sale are still the Eye Fantasists, which I've been reaching for pretty much every day since I got them.
L'Oreal HIP #320 Darkwave is one of four new eyeshadow duos from the Midnight Muse collection. In the pot, it looks like a matte grey-toned dark navy and a metallic dark olive.
By using Beauté de Kosé Eye Fantasist GR754 Emerald Mist as the base all over the lid, I was able to create this smoky green look. I'm really loving the Eye Fantasists that Kas helped me to pick up from the Kosé sale, as the shimmer is so incredibly refined and delicate (unlike Jill Stuart's Jelly Eye Colours which are much more bling).
I applied the dark olive shade from the inner corner to the middle of the upper eyelid and along the lower lashline; and the dark navy shade along the upper lashline and from the middle of the upper lid to the outer corner. Next, I brushed the light beige shade from Dior Sky Glow over the browbone area, at the inner corners and along the lower lashline. The light beige shade does a great job of highlighting the lower lashline without fading even after several hours of wear. The colour payoff of the two shades in Darkwave is quite good, as is typical of the HIP line. I did experience a bit of fallout on my cheeks while applying the dark navy shade with the sponge tip applicator but aside from that, there was no fallout over the rest of the day.
For the rest of the look, I used Burberry Sheer Foundation Trench No. 4 (applied with the Shiseido #131 foundation brush), Addiction Cry Baby Lipgloss and Magie Deco Loose Cheek R (from the holiday coffret).
So far, I've tried the Shiseido #131 brush with both liquid and powder foundations and it works pretty well. The flat surface of the brush head is a tad small (about the size of a US quarter) so it does take a bit more time to do the whole face compared to simply applying with fingers or a sponge but the brush does help to blend the foundation and apply it evenly.
This week, I decided to play around with my new collection of L'Oreal HIP eyeshadow duos. HIP was very easy to find in most drugstores in New York, with about 25 combinations to choose from. They retail at US$8 (excluding sales tax, about S$10.60) each, which is much cheaper than Singapore where they cost S$18.90 each. They're even more of a steal if you can get them during a buy-one-get-one-free promotion.
208 Sassy is a taupe brown paired with a smoky green. Several reviews on MakeupAlley pointed out that the taupe is a dupe for MAC's Satin Taupe. The smoky green shade applies quite blackened without much of a bright emerald or teal flash. It is actually quite easy to wear as it's not as harsh as a jet black eyeshadow.
510 Electrified seems to be quite a popular duo with a lighter silvery taupe and smoky plum. This belongs to the "Metallic" group of HIP duos. Fortunately, the finish is not frosty.
For this look, I used Urban Decay Primer Potion as the base with the taupe shade from Sassy from the inner corners to the middle of the upper lid and the green shade from the middle of the lid to the outer corners.
Next, I applied the dark plum shade from 510 Electrified above the crease, and a metallic light beige shade from Dior Sky Glow over the browbone area and at the inner corners.
Like the earlier batch of HIP duos that I reviewed, I was impressed by the good colour payoff and smooth texture of the eyeshadows. They are a breeze to apply with the included sponge applicator and have a lovely glimmer without being too powdery or falling all over the face during the application process. The only flaw is the bulky and cheap-looking pot packaging with the silly double compartment. If they had dispensed with the bottom compartment holding the small sponge applicator, the pot would be much slimmer and more compact. One also needs to be careful not to drop these as they seem to break quite easily. I saw many shattered duos that were still sealed in plastic in the shops.
306 Gunmetal is quite an odd name for a green duo as one normally associates the word with dark grey. This is another "Metallic Shadow Duo".
Using Beauté de Kosé Eye Fantasist GR751 Dew Green as the base, I applied the metallic smoky olive shade from the inner corner to the middle of the upper lid and the dark emerald shade from the middle of the upper lid to the outer corner and along the lower lashline.
Next, I applied the silvery taupe shade from Electrified above the outer half of the crease, and a metallic light beige shade from Dior Sky Glow over the browbone area and at the inner corners.
I was expecting the dark emerald shade to have a brighter tone as it has green sparkles sprinkled throughout but it turned out to be more ashy than I had expected.
For both looks, I also used HIP Intense Eyeliner #320 Dark Sky, a velvety matte jet black from the latest Midnight Muse collection.
While I liked how the eyeliner glides on with minimal dragging and lasts well throughout the day, it's not good at creating the slim upward flick at the outer corners of the eyes, so I ended up using my usual Heroine Make Smooth Liquid Liner to touch up the corners.
I hope that L'Oreal decides to bring in more of the HIP line and make it permanent in Singapore as the eyeshadow duos feature more interesting shades than the conventional drugstore selection and offer good quality at a very affordable price.
A few readers asked about what I had purchased during my recent trip so here are the pics!
Several of these are actually purchases for friends, like the Tokidoki Robbery palette, the Wet'n'Wild and Physicians Formula Shimmer Strip palettes on the left side of the pic. I've already reviewed some of these, like the Magie Deco, Anna Sui and Addiction items, so I won't elaborate on them in this post.
Sephora happened to be having its 20% VIB discount during my trip so I took the chance to haul Philosophy shower gels. This prettily packaged Peppermint Bark Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath was an absolute steal at just US$5 with any Philosophy purchase at Sephora.
Philosophy Glow & Behold Celestial Citrus Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath.
The Melting Marshmallow set with a Body Lotion, lipgloss and Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath.
Josie Maran Argan Lip Treatment
At Saks 5th Avenue, I picked up the Giorgio Armani travel brush set. Priced at US$100, it is supposed to have a retail value of US$200.
It includes an eye contour brush, a concealer brush, an eye shader brush, a blender brush and a blush brush.
Another new brush is Stila's #33 One Step Complexion Brush. According to the description on Sephora, one side beautifully blends liquid, creams, and powder foundation into your skin, while the other delivers precision concealing for a perfected, polished complexion. The synthetic bristles are shaped to imitate application with your fingertips, but are firmer and more flexible for quicker, easier makeup application. The tapered brush tip can burrow into tiny, hard-to-reach crevices and the synthetic bristles eliminate the transfer of oils and bacteria. It can also be used to apply eyeshadow and cheek color.
At the drugstore, I bought a clutch of L'Oreal HIP eyeshadows. Some are permanent shades while the others are from the new Midnight Muse collection. I tried to pick the duos with more complex colours.
Wet'n'Wild ColorIcon Lust palette.
Sally Hansen HD Nail Color in DVD and Wet'n'Wild ColorIcon Nail Color in Prowler.
In Japan, I picked up this newly released Shiseido #131 Foundation Brush, which can be used with powder, liquid, cream and stick foundations. The normal retail price is 1890yen but I got it at 30% off at a drugstore.
Visee Glam Nude Eyes N-6 Rose Pink Fur
Canmake Cheek Gradation #6
Shiseido's new Tsubaki Water is a leave-in hair treatment spray with Tsubaki's trademark camellia oil to help nourish hair.
Paul & Joe Sister, Liberty and Anna Sui handkerchieves.
And finally, some snacks for the hubby! :-)
The L'Oreal HIP line has arrived in select Watsons stores in Singapore! It is available at the Watsons in Ngee Ann City, Wisma Atria, Tampines Mall and Jurong Point. Some of the more popular shades have already been completely snapped up.
You can also check out the L'Oreal Paris Singapore Facebook page for updates on new releases and contests.
Did a colourful combo today with L'Oreal HIP Bright Shadow Duos in Adventurous (left in pic below) and Flamboyant (right).
After prepping with Testimo Eye Bright Up base, I applied the pink from Adventurous from the inner corner to the middle of the lid and the purple shade from Flamboyant from the middle of the lid to the outer corners and along the lower lashline. I blended the beige shade from Adventurous above the outer half of the crease and added a touch of the gold shade from Flamboyant just above the inner half of the crease.
I used Color Chrome Eyeliner Showy Black again along the upper lashline but despite sharpening it, I just couldn't get it to draw a smooth intense line today so I resorted to going over it with Shiseido Automatic Fine Eyeliner BK901, which got the job done in seconds. On my lashes, I used Clinique High Impact Mascara over Shiseido Nourishing Mascara Base. The Shiseido Mascara Base made a significant difference in helping my lashes to stay curled even after applying the Clinique Mascara.
The other products I used were: Shiseido Refining Makeup Primer, Dior X4 Control Compact Foundation 012, RMK Super Basic Liquid Concealer EX01, Paul & Joe Face Color 07, Lipstick C 068 and Loose Powder, and K-Palette Real Lasting Eyebrow 01.
Similar to the yellowy green in Riotous, I found the gold shade in Flamboyant to be quite hard to pull off because of the strong yellow tone. I either have to apply it with a very light hand or mix it with another shade to tone it down somewhat. All of the shades were well-pigmented and lasted over 11 hours of wear without fading.
