It SITS on your SKIN

In today's society, perfect skin is a rarity. To be a person born with naturally contoured, even-toned, flawless skin is much like being on the endangered species list. Perhaps as children we were blessed with it. As adults, there have been reasons we could no longer maintain it. And therefore we chose to create an illusion of it - we turned to makeup.

Pictures from Google Images

One of the most basic skills in make-up application is foundation and concealer. Acne and pimples are the bane of teenagers because of hormones, nasty fried fast foods and the habit to pick at Mount Everest that sits on your nose ready to explode (but don't... just don't). 

Consider this post a rant than a tutorial. There have been plenty of make-up application disasters I've witnessed where I've had the urge to walk up to a person and offer a tip or two. Why? Well, for starters, they look like they're aspiring to be clowns.

Many ladies - Asians especially - tend to use foundations 2 shades lighter than their natural skin tone. I apologize, but unless you're aiming to role play as a Geisha, then you need to change that foundation. The rule here is to match the foundation to your neck so the natural color is continuous throughout instead of appearing mask-like. If you must use a lighter foundation, use it under your eyes to create a brightening effect.

This also applies to ladies aiming to obtain that 'bronzed' look. Look up tutorials for the proper way to apply bronzer. Don't use it all over your face. You're meant to achieve that tanned glow, not appear over-cooked.

Yes, it's a lot of work, research and you will encounter the inevitable hit and miss / trial and error along the way. But the result is worth the effort - right? If it isn't, then make up isn't a necessity. It's a choice. Love the skin you are in.

After all, beauty is more than just skin deep.

-L

Review: NYX Box Of Eyeshadows

Our eyes are the windows to our souls... so why not spice them up with a bit of eyeshadow?

Boxed eyeshadow sets have become steadily popular over the recent years with their quality improving every step of the way. In comparison to their single counterparts, they provide a diverse choice of colors from neutral to colorful. Furthermore, the price for the amount of shadows you get in a boxed set would justify the price (i.e. box set price < matching single shadows price).

This a review for the NYX Box of Eyeshadows.

This boxed set contains an astounding 112 colors of NYX's shadows. Its layout allows for easy segregation of color families. The top half homes the neutral and natural colors. Here the colors appear to be matched to their light and dark corresponding shades. The bottom carries the more vibrant and colorful shadows NYX has to offer and segments them into their respected color families.

The overall packaging is simple yet elegant in a way. The glossy plastic covering feels a lot more sturdier than it appears. The cover allows the user to see a peak of the shadows through the clear plastic sections. The bottom compartment slides out easily and clicks into place when slid back. However, it is bulky and takes up a lot of bag and table space.

The quality of each shadow is, sadly, a hit and miss. Most of them are highly pigmented and apply smoothly. However, there are a few that fail to stay true to color and quality. I also find that some colors don't look very different from other similar shades (e.g the highlight colors). A few look very promising to the eye, but when swatched, show up as a different shade. Some of the more pigmented shadows can produce a lot of fall out, so be prepared for that. Application is smooth for 95% of the shadows. A couple can be difficult, but the majority apply smoothly without clumps or chunks.

Price-wise, it retails for $35 on the website (link below). In the UAE, I've seen it retail around 189 DHS. Fairly reasonable if you were to consider how much it would cost in total for all the shadows at full price. It can also be versatile by using selected colors for blush, highlight and contour. This saves on buying other products.

My verdict:

I've had this set for well over 2 years (birthday gift from my mom). I've used it for many (if not all) of my makeup looks and I am in a position to say that I am one satisfied customer. This is honestly a good starter set for beginners and an adequate set for aspiring makeup artists and makeup enthusiasts. It isn't ideal for people leaning towards editorial work as the pigmentation may not be on par with their requirements.

I use this set for natural to dramatic looks. I may have had some problems with the more pastel/light shades due to my medium/dark skin tone, but surely not all shadows can fit every skin type. It does last a pretty long time - considering that one person alone can't use up all the eyeshadows at once.

Personally, the price isn't as bad. If you consider the price of smaller high end pallets, this is a merciless bargain for the amount of product that could very well be comparable (if not better) quality.

I enjoy using this on my friends, my mom and on myself. I find it easy to set up when I'm inspired to create a look. However, it isn't very travel friendly. For that, I'd bring a smaller pallet because this box would take up far too much space in my carry on.

Here are some looks I created using the pallet:

I hope this review helps those who are on a makeup hunt for eyeshadows.

-L

Links:

NYX Box Of Eyeshadows