Brow-sing Naturally with Ecobrow defining wax in Marilyn

Brow are you?  Good? Then let's talk Ecological Brows or Ecobrow Defining Wax:

Eh,  a bit of a trite pun on words but how about the idea that first impressions count and people always are about that 'eyes are the mirror of the soul'. In that case, eyebrows are the framing of the mirror and they can be really important to characterize the face. The quintessential example would be Cara, but how about the 1920s moviestars who defined their fragile femininity with a thin & droopy brow:

source: Here & more brow-xamples

  I personally do not think "one brow fits all". Even if everyone seems to be into the Cara-brow, you got to consider her facial structure is delicate enough to pull off a masculine brow without loosing her femininity. I personally go for some more space between my eyes and a bit of a curve for a slightly more feminine shape on my squarer features. I still aim for a natural looking brow, ofcourse!

But let's take a look of how I liked Ecobrow as a brow-definer.

• Natural
• Lighweight
• beautiful Brow effects
• Smudge Proof
• Naturally Derived

Ok, last claim is "Naturally Derived": will that be true?

sorry for the smudgies

In the first place I find some of them sounding chemical, like Neopentyl glycol. Wiki says it is an organic chemical compound which sounds to me like a oxymoron...Organic and Chemical? Mmm... 

But I believe in their ecological sustainability just for the fact that I bought it from Sephora. You gotta trust the Americans for totally forking out all claims and promises like truth...or else...lawsuit!

In that case, let's check the "beautiful brow effect" it will bring me! Hurray!

Colour:

I picked Marilyn because it is the lightest colour around. I'm not a natural light blonde but my eyebrows have always been naturally light. I've been trying the darker ones, but they make my face look too stern. I simply want my existing colour to look thicker and shape some femininity in them.

The colour inside is a taupe with a slight hint of green:

The green won't show in the pot, but in the comparing swatches you will see it.

Comparing swatches:

I picked up my other blonde cream formulas to compare with Ecobrow Marilyn. They are:

• EB = Ecobrow Marilyn
• ABH= Anastasia Beverly hills Dipbrow in Blonde
• LM= Laura Mercier Brow Definer in Fair

My tools of the trade is my latest, supersharp Wayne Goss No. 8:

Swatches:

EB: Ecobrow Marilyn is the lightest of the bunch. I am so thrilled of this lightness because it totally fills my brow without altering the colour. Moreover, it is neutral enough without leaning either cool or gold.

ABH: I never noticed how greenly tinged Anastasia Beverly Hills in Blonde was before this swatch. I don't mind because it makes the drawn-in hairs appear more real. The colour is slightly on the cooler side and a bit too dark for a total brow-fill. It is pigmented enough to draw good hairs so I can alternate this with a lighter colour.

LM: Laura Mercier in Fair is a wonderful lighter colour with more warmth than Ecobrow. I do think it fades more quickly and it does not draw the hairs as vivid as Ecobrow.

Revisiting Promises:

• Natural: Mostly
• Lightweight: Very
• beautiful Brow effects: YES!
• Smudge Proof: Up to 8 hours with a natural fade
• Naturally Derived: I'm not specialised enough to prove it is but it has not been proven otherwise yes so I guess...

General review:

I have really fallen in love with Ecobrow Marilyn. It gives my brows a natural but sculpted look I love without looking fake. It last for a long time and I do not have to worry putting unnecessary chemicals on my face.

 Verdict = LOVE it.

Tom Ford Lipstick to Boys Luciano, Michael, Cooper & Pablo

Ohhh, I've gotten giddy today for receiving my Tom Ford Lipstick to Boys. 

Finally I could buy something unswatched and slightly dangerous for not really knowing what to get. Normally you can see/read about all beauty with the elite/always-gettin'it-first likes of Temptalia and Wayne Goss. Temptalia still got it first but not like 10 months before. Seems Tom Ford has been democratic about his lippies!

Weather has been more than horrible today, so my apologies for the lack of light and goosebumps. I photoshopped a bit but I did not want to alter the original colour, so some might be not so light.

I picked four brights based on my earlier Tom Ford lipxperience. I adore Violet Fatale. I like my Spanish Pink as well but I think Tom Ford does the brights a bit better.

 * Violets to Orchids Pablo

 

Tom Ford Pablo looks like a pure colder Purple. I immediately thought of Bite Beauty Violet.

Also, my 1st Tom Ford Violet Fatale from the regular line & YSL Glossy Stain Violine Out of Control:

Tom Ford Violet Fatale looks so demure next to Pablo! It is a softer pinker hue compared to the blueness of Pablo. Bite Beauty Violet is even a more shocking Blue pink. TF Pablo is slightly sheerer than the other TF lipsticks, hence it wears beautifully sophisticated with the right kind of edge.

* REDS, Luciano

I figured Luciano would be a close sibling to Cherry Lush. In fact, they are family: Luciano is a hint more muted and rosier.

 

I added YSL Glossy Stain in Rose Tempura 13 for another reference. Rose Tempura is a deeper pinker hue. All of them are in the group of Rosy Reds.

* Fushia to Magentas: Cooper

  I have absolutely no dupe of this colour but Dior addict lipstick show 778 is slightly close. Cooper has more red in it and is more opaque.

Multifaceted flecks

TF Cooper: the lushious finish from another angle

 * Pop Pinks to Roses: Michael

 

Michael looks deceptively demure in murky daylight but wait until you swatch him with some other poppy peachy/pinks:

I've been comparing it with NARS Audacious Kelly, Guerlain Chamade (164) Rouge Automatique, Chanel Scintillantes 124 , Deliplus Mate 01 

Picture 1 shows how poppy pink Michael can look, and picture 2 shows his peachier side. I have no close due but Deliplus Mate 01, a Spanish supermarket brand, comes closest.

Conclusion: I love them all and they are all such originals in my stash. 

Ps: I've skipped the background story with the Tom Ford promotion about the fantasy about the threesome...I agree Tom Ford picked some handsome guys online to pose with the girls: if only they came with the lipstick! As for fantasies, a guy once wanted to include a girl but I guess the only threesome for me would me be pushing the other girl away, and perhaps hurting him too for suggesting. But a suggestive promo never hurt any cosmetic brand, right?

Eye Prime me up: Kanebo Kate Lash Maximizer Black vs Diorshow Maximizer lash Plumping Serum

Out with the new, in with the newer! 

 That might sum up the review I will bring about on 3 eyelash primers. There's actually an old one too, but it performs similarly as the newer, only in a different colour.

For reviewing sake let me introduce: Kanebo Kate Mascara Base, Kanebo Kate Lash Maximizer Black & Dior Diorshow Lash Plumping Serum.

Starting with 'old': Kanebo Kate Eyelash Base. It has been on the market for more than 6 years. Eyelash primers have only taken a more prominent role on the Western market recently but they have been favourite tools among Asian lash-afficionados for a longer time. I only know it for about 6 years but it has been a miracle tool for keeping my curl and having made-up lashes.

Recently Kate introduced a newer version of the lashbase that I reviewed here. I picked the white version that I used up quite efficiently. Afterwards I went for the rave-reviewed Western Diorshow Lash Maximizer.

Though lovingly moisturizing for my lashes, it did not keep my eyelashcurler-primed lashes into a decent curl.

Thus out with the new...in with the newer:

Comparing the different brushes & colour of the primer:

My oldest version of Kanebo Kate Lash Base comes with a straight but soft-haired brush. The formula is supposed to be totally white, but sometimes I transfer the black of the tightliner into the tube again. I do clean up my brush after priming by removing everything with a tissue, but sometimes a tiny bit of black eyepencil stays on and it turns into a greyish mass. That's also a reason I replace eyeprimers oftenly, for hygienic reason.

As said in the earlier review: I love how it performs. Length & keeps the curl in it's form. The only thing is that you have to coat every lash with mascara afterwards to stop the white base from appearing. 

That's when the newer version Kate Lash Maximizer in Black makes such a fantastic primer: you can either plump up your lashes with extra mascara or keep the coat for as it is.

Kate Lash Maximizer Black has a sparse amount of fibres included. They are fewer than in the white version of the Lash Maximizer's series. That might be a relief for people not liking over-fibre-ish bases.

As for the black colour: it appears rather glossy on the eyelashes. Perhaps not the blackest of black but I do think it appears in the truest colour most mascara brands would market they colour 'black'. Only few brands like Hourglass Film Noir make an inky black glossy version that almost glistens from your eyelashes; the rest somewhat varies in colour and gloss factor.

The brush is a classic, slightly bend one with synthetic but bendable hairs. The formula holds up really long: I'd say it hold like a waterproof version. At least, the base survives a shower whereas the 'topping' mascara on top lovingly merges on my cheeks. So I suggest a good waterproof mascara cleanser for removing every trace.

Which brings me why Diorshow was not really into my alley: I already mentioned the formula not lenghtening my lashes enough, nor keeping my curl in place. Then there's the brush:

Brushes are a matter of taste and perhaps of the type of eyelashes you have. I never really liked the plastic brushes with their short but stiff ends. That is precisely the type of brush on the Diorshow Lash serum.

On the positive side: it removes a lot easier than Kate's formula. I guess that makes it perfect for lashes that are easier to be curled/already curly. 

I cannot say too much about the lash-serum effect. I've used it too sporadically to notice a difference.

Conclusion: I prefer the cheaper & more effective Kanebo Kate and love the new black version of it.

Makeup Forever Artist Shadow in Crystalline Gray Beige ( D552)

*Makeup Forever's new color-shadows popped up at Sephora's website -> curiosity triggered*

There are so many new ones [210], and the Makeupartist in the video were raving about aalllll colours.

I picked one that looked rather like a neutral taupe online: Crystalline Gray Beige:

It's a shade with the promise of a Diamond lustre: Diamond people! I had Rihanna chanting in the back of my mind...'Shine bright lika a diamond...'

There are also eyeshadows in satin, matte, idirescent & Metallic. However, I thought it would be nice to see MUFE's translation of a diamond lustre.

The eyeshadows are sold in separate pans. You can either muster up your own palette, or buy the MUFE version of 2, 3 or more. There was a good deal for the palette version so I chose that option:

 The case is plastic, but the sturdy type in MUFE's signature sleekness. The pallets have magnet adherence so you can take out your pan whenever you want. This is handy for travellers and makeupartists or aspiring colourists who like to vary their colours on daily/weekly basis.

 Talking about the size of the pan: it's the same as Le Metier de Beaute eyeshadow pans:

 

That got me into comparing mode again. Hence, I also picked up my cheaper brand Makeup Artist palette in Undress Me too.

Ofcourse, those are baby pans compared to big-sized MUFE & LMDB, but the colour-family of one of them is quite similar: a mauve-ish silver Taupe.

This swatch is made in daylight/indirect sun, foundation base but no specific eye primer. The Le Metier de Beaute palette is Bauhaus in colour Graphite (review here). 

• MUFE is the warmest of the 3: a reddish mauve base
• Le Metier de Beaute has the best opacity
• The diamond aspect of MUFE is slightly dissapointing: all 3 have similar lustre on skin

Verdict:

I have not been as enthousiastic about the eyeshadow as the makeupartists in the video. Honestly, I'm spoiled with Le Metier de Beaute and others, but I think that a budget eyeshadow like Makeup Artist wears just as well.
However, I think it's a wonderful neutral, office-appropriate sparkle that will cooperate well with Edward Bess eyeprimer. And I will add another shadow of MUFE's Artist collection in a different finish to complete the duo-palette.

Conclusion:
Usefully pretty, but not a musthave if you have similar hues.

Es Paradis: Addiction by Ayako Cheekstick in Behind the Veil #16

A month ago I received this newbie from Addiction by Ayako (Kose):

And I've totally been lacking on my sharing and reviewing abilities. Not just because I felt lukewarm about this one (more about it later), but I've been living somewhere else with a tablet. I love my tablets when it comes to chocolate, but I seem to be incomprehensibly unmatched with computer tablets.

Back to my typetypetypetype laptop, my fingers are getting the workout again. 

I was really anticipating the launch of Addiction by Ayako Cheeksticks for their Summer '14 Es Paradis line. 

 

This is not the official promotion photo, but I love to show it from an angle as you can see the cheekbones, a better colour disposition of the eyeshadows with her eyes, and the cheekstick doing it's magic.

From the promo video, fingertapping is not just for laptops, for cheeks too

I basically picked the only colour not featured on the model: 

'More' looked too much like a terracotta orange that wouldn't match my cool undertones. 'Ibiza Sunset' like yet another bronzer shade. I was interested in Behind the Veil, a peachy shimmery type of colour.

At first sight, it does look like 'everything's peachy':

Unlike the previous cheeksticks, this one has flecks/shimmer inside.

Let's compare it to Rose Bar:

My first thought was: NARS multiple in Orgasm. I was intending to steal borrow a tiny chunk from the Sephora shop, but morality kicked in so you just have to take my word for it: they are almost dupes.

Swatches:

So before you will give me the "what's the deal-it's so pretty?" do have to agree upon that; it's pretty and shimmery and that NARS Orgasm kinda glow that is the most cultish colour ever.  

Then again...

Rosebar definitely looks more opaque than Behind the Veil. 

Also, it's a matter of personal taste. I've lived in a warmer, smog-infested city for a while which turned my skin into neo-teenage oiliness. Anything glimmerish that enhanced my pores has been a total no-go for that time being. So timing was a bit off with this cheekstick. 

I've also never been a fan of NARS Orgasm for similar reasons. I take my glitter quite sparingly and even though think one is subdued, it's still present when your pores do not resemble total tiny flawlessness.

Back to Holland, I have to try it again! The climate is starting to turn my skin into a slightly dryer and less oilier surface so I am quite sure it can work a bit better for me.

It looks gorgeous on lips too. Delightful velvety glow and the texture of the Addiction cheeksticks cannot be beaten for hybrid application (eyes too).

Conclusion: a sweet, sheer hybrid but take care if you are glimmer-shy

Gosh Lip Laquer in Funky Lips, Dangerous lips and Forever Eyeshadow in Green

This week I blogged about some newbie Gosh. Today I'll show some swatches:

Eventually I bought one, but this week they were discounted to 5 euro so I added another one:

Funky Lips (006) & Dangerous Lips (008)

It is a 'quite nailpolish'-like bottle. Pure marketing strategy: Gosh claims it to be "Manicure for lips"...

 

Opening the bottle is a diffent story: meet the standard lipwand for applying lipgloss: 

The selection has been limited to a modest amount of eight colours: that is normal from Gosh as they do that with almost all of their lipcolours, However, they haven't picked out the most 'universally flattering' hues: the first numbers are quite a pasty bunch.

I picked out 6 and 8 as they were quite opaque and had the right mixture of red and pink enbedded. 7 is suprisingly sheer compared to the other formulas.

I'll start of showing 006: Funky Lips

brrr, goosebumps for early spring weather

 The formula is a dense & glossy reddish pink that covers the lips quite well.

The formula is quite reminiscent to YSL Laque:

I basically added Essence Stay with Me longlasting lipgloss as another drugstore 'longlasting' one, but noticably it doesn't compare to either YSL as Gosh, neither texture nor longevity. 

Hence, I zoomed in on the two comparable ones:

They are absolutely no sisters or twins, colourwise. More like nieces. The texture does compare: both opaque and they adher nicely to the skin. YSL 13 Rose Tempura has shimmer embedded and Gosh 08 Dangerous lips has no shimmer.

Instead of Essence I added Gosh 006 in Funky lips. YSL Rose Tempura is in the midde (cooler and shimmery) and Gosh 008 Dangerous lips is the deepest corally pink:

The feel is somewhat different: YSL Rouge Pur Couture Vernis a Levres has that certain sticky feeling that I learned to love. Gosh Lip Laquer feels like a total balm on the lips: almost absent.

Gosh fragance is a different story: it is quite a present chemical fruity one that you either tolerate or not. Or perhaps it might dig up some nostalgic teen memories out there. It will dissapear within 10 minutes.

Gosh longevity is quite potent: I had a full testing session and it stayed on quite beautifully after being stuck in a turtleneck shirt. Sometimes my lipglosses will take refuge in my beginning vertical liplines (or worse, da face). It stayed on quite strong for 4 hours and faded into something equally stained. It has been wonderful topping up as I didn't get pigment differences layering it over the older layer. It is not a waterproof/stainproof formula but the thickness really adhers to the lips.

Also new in the display are the Forever Eyeshadows:

The pencil itself:

I picked the Green one as I felt attracted to green that day. Today I made some more swatches of the other colours of my fancy:

Plum is my ultimate next want...It reminds me of my last Addiction Eyeshadow from the Eivissa range (Meeting at Dome). This picture only shows it from one angle but it sparkles around like the Mad Hatter on tea-overload...

I also like blue as it tends to be more purple.

Grey has light blue sparkles and some greens too...interesting.

They are really resistent to water and rubbing as well. Hence, you can use them as an eyeshadow, but be sure to blend them in within a minute otherwise it will stay like a waterproof eyeliner.

They retail for about € 9 which is not that cheap for a drugstore range.

The Gosh Liplaquers are on sale for € 5 right now.

 My cat approves on that price, and those flowers too...Or, it almost seems like Spring!!