Xmas Eye: Soft Sequins

For Christmas I went for a more original approach upon the smoky eye. 

I was inspired by the photo on the left as it is a sparkly sequinned eye that looks complicated but has a one-coloured brick base and extended sequins to the eyebrows in a matching shade 

I stuck to the 'rules of maturity of the 30-something woman' that my fave Driveller had scanned in 

-> rule 4 (here): Glossy eyes shall refrain from glossy lips1 (& vv)

Products used...not too difficult:

Edward Bess Dune base

MAC pigment in Jalouse slightly over the crease

Bobbi Brown eyeliner from middle to exaggerated ends

Ciate loose sequins in Miss Sequin in the crease. 

I didn't sequinned up to the eyebrow as the model has: because 

1. she's a face model and I am not 

2. My own age-rule: don't over-sequin!

3. I live in Holland and modesty is key (this was already quite 'OTT' when I went shopping at boxing day)

1. I'd gloss up my lips every day if I feel like non-obeying and I might do so for NYE...

This look is not that complicated and you can actually dose the amount of sequins for a higher impact: so I might repeat this in another colour/accent for NYE.

Palette Swatch Project: Givenchy Travel (older version)

Travel palettes on Airports are those alluring boxes that can either be a treasure box or a total lure-a-crappy. Excuse my not-so-French but they stare at you in the Duty-free shops and they look like everything and more you have ever wanted in a palette: all colours, textures for different facial parts and...ofcourse...that flashy designer logo that looks so haute when you tediously apply your makeup in the airplane.

But let's face it...some can be really bad. How often can you really swatch a palette in that Duty free shop and how clear-minded are you at that time being? Meh, right? You're either into pre-holiday haze or business-stressness.

Enter Givenchy (read Pink Sith's article of how to pronounce it: here and lust over their latest lipstick). I think I have it for a couple of years now, but it looks hardly used: for a reason, this time.

  So we have a thicker palette with a double layers...me like me some double layers...So how is the treasure box doing so far?

 On first glance: it's doing well. It's versatile with many fun & neutral colours for eyes.

 A handy powder and a slightly brick-toned blush for the cheeks.

Some flesh, peach & reddish brown coloured lipsticks...
So it's "craptasticness" is not about the colours: I totally love the mixture of neutrals with a bit of sparkly blue for the eyes. And it's paintedness is good too: you have almost all of the face featured. This time it is texture/durability

Good test, the eyeshadows:

This is also a premium example of HOW GOOD Edward Bess Eyeshadow Primer in Suede works -stripe in the middle-: it totally makes craptastic eyeshadows do the thing they were supposed to do: show up and give colour. The rest of the faded out parts beyond that fleshy-browned stripe in the middle is the exact same amount of eyeshadow as in the middle: so do we see anything of that? Big Meh!

The lipsticks show up better:

 Only this time its texture: they are that oldfashioned lipstick fraganced quality that was good when there weren't newer formulas.

The blush isn't that fantastic either: texture-wise (see swatch).
The powder...ehm, let's say it's neutrally useless.

Last but not least: the Mascara. Parad'eyes is one of their older versions.
Basically, it was too dried up when I tried to use it so I cannot review this one.

Conclusion: Don't get tempted by every palette on the field! Especially when hitting Duty-free shops...(or buy some Edward Bess eyeprimer to make it work for eyes and carry it around like your newborn baby)