Saturday 31 May 2014

Crave & Covet #1

I was inspired to do this by seeing a post on Miss Makeup Magpie about what the writer, Gemma, calls a "Lusting List". She gives a small list of items that she's got her eye on, and I thought, "Why not?" After all, I'm always seeing a heap of things that I find especially drool-worthy and these might not be things that I buy in a haul all in one go (or maybe they will be, who knows!), but they are things that I really, really want.

So, let's get it started!
Lipstick Queen Medieval Tinted Treatment | $29.95 -- I can't lie, it's the name that's drawn me in. I love, love, love medieval history. If a makeup brand brought out a line of lipsticks or glosses named after medieval figures, I would buy every one. I'm seeing this lip tint as something that Snow White's stepmother would've kept in her evil lair for touch-ups in between brews. It's got a conditioning formula that's supposed to be sheer with a red shade that's flattering on all skin types.

Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Scrub | $16.95 -- I love the Flake Away body scrub by Soap & Glory, but I keep eyeing this one off every time I'm in Kit! It's made with brown sugar and lime, which sounds absolutely delicious (not that I'd necessarily eat it!). I've still got two other scrubs to get through, but can you have too much body scrub? I didn't think so.

Too Faced A La Mode Eyeshadow Collection | $53.95 -- I've been lusting after this ever since Danielle reviewed this palette on her blog a little while ago, but I wasn't sure if Australia would ever get it because it's more of a spring/summer palette. What I'm really excited about is 'Monaco', the hot pink colour which makes me think of "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" (I'm not the only Marilyn Monroe fan, right?). My two other palettes are neutral-based, and I think it would be really fun to experiment with some bold colours. It's on sale for $43.60 from Beauty Bay (down from $53.80), or $45.51 from Tarazz (but you'll want to take shipping costs into consideration).

Smashbox Halo Hydrating Perfecting Powder | $84.95 -- I've wanted this for a while too. I feel like I'm on the quest for the perfect powder product and this powder has been drawing my eye for weeks. I swatched the  'Light/Medium' shade at the Kit counter and it seemed to perfectly match my skin -- I definitely had an "Oooh!" moment. Unfortunately, this is a really expensive product, which was what stopped me from buying this the day I saw it.


MAC Maleficent Lipstick | $38 -- I've had my eye on this lipstick ever since I heard about it on Makeup and Beauty Blog. I loved watching Sleeping Beauty as a kid, it was probably by second favourite Disney movie! When I saw this shade of colour, I just thought, "Woooah." Of course, it's a price tag that packs a punch, but then again -- makeup is an investment (plus it's sold out -- the most effective deterrent out there).


MAC Maleficent Lipglass in "Anthurium" | $45 -- Okay, so the question is: do I need this gloss when I already want the lipstick? Do I really need this gloss when it's so expensive? The answer is no, I probably don't, buuut this is a crave list, not a necessity list! That being said, I don't have a red lip gloss and when push comes to shove, I'd ditch lipsticks for glosses. Also, it's sold out so it doesn't look like I'll be getting it any time soon.

So what are you especially craving for right now?

Sarah xo

Tuesday 27 May 2014

Myer Haul #3

In my last Myer Haul post, I briefly wrote about my Mother's Day gift to my mother, which was for us to get our makeup done at MAC! My mother was definitely surprised (she hadn't seen it coming!) and we had a great day out, which we haven't done for a while. We each bought heaps of stuff, a lot of it from the MAC counter. I'll include pictures from the websites these products come from, because the picture I took is of my usual camera-phone quality.

See what I mean?
Without further ado, let's get this started!

Out of Trouble® 10 minute mask to rescue problem skin
Origins Out of Trouble 10 Minute Mask to Rescue Problem Skin - I've wanted a mask for a little while, and the girl at Kit Cosmetics recommended this one to me. It's suited to oily skin, and it supposed to remove excess oil, refine the skin and clear the skin. I've used it twice already and I like it generally, although I'm still trying to decide if it does everything it claims to. You can pick this up from Kit for $34.
 

 
Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipsticks in "Icon" and "Raven". -- I'm not going to go into any detail about this product, as I wrote a review on it here. Icon is a blue-toned deep red with a matte finish; Raven is an orange-based bright red with a matte finish. You can get them for $42 each at Mecca Cosmetica.
 
 
MAC Studio Fix Fluid SPF15 Liquid Foundation in "NW20". -- This was the foundation used on me by my MAC artist and so far I'm pleased about how it works. It gives me a nice, clean coverage, although it has an initial scent that I'm not very fond of. It's $49 from MAC.
 
 
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Powder in "Medium". -- This is a powder that is supposed to provide low coverage if used alone, but can also be used to set foundation. I use it as the latter, and so far it works pretty well but I'm not sure if it's my favourite powder product. It has a really nice clear plastic top, which has been known to break. MAC in the US have recently relaunched it with sturdier packaging, although I'm not sure when this is coming out in Australia. It's $47 from MAC.
 
 
MAC 215 Medium Shader Brush -- I have wanted this brush for the longest time! I've seen brushes like these used heaps of times in YouTube tutorials, and I kept thinking about how it would be great in refining my Padawan techniques. I've only used it once so far, when doing my aunt's makeup a week or so ago, but I was impressed by how it neatly placed shadow under her lower lashline. It's $48 from MAC.
 
 
MAC Bronzing Powder in "Matte Bronze". -- Contouring is something I'm really unfamiliar with, so I wanted a really good product to practice with. My good friend Danielle recently wrote a post about highlighting and contouring, which is great because, as helpful as YouTube videos are, I sometimes need something written down in order to help me understand it! This is $39 from MAC.
 
Have you used any of these products recently?
 
Sarah xo
 
 


Monday 26 May 2014

Product Review: Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick

Like the Return of Sexy palette by Too Faced (which I reviewed here), the Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipsticks are by no means new. It was released in 2012 -- which doesn't seem that long ago, does it? -- so it's definitely been around for a while, but that hasn't stopped me from lusting over it as if it were the shiniest toy on display!

First impressions are made on looks, so it's no wonder that the gorgeous packaging of these lipsticks captured my eye the first time I saw it in Mecca. It's sleek, streamlined casing exudes an air of money and class -- and it would want to, costing $42 a piece.

I'd been eyeing these off for a while, and I finally caved a couple of weeks ago and bought two of them, in "Icon" and "Raven". It was the swatches that did it for me -- the pigmentation with one swipe is incredible; I'm sure that my jaw dropped a little.

 L to R: "Icon" and "Raven" (from the Hourglass website)

See!? A one-swipe wonder!
(Top: "Icon". Bottom: "Raven")
I would describe "Icon" as a blue-toned deep red, because I feel like it looks a little like MAC's Viva Glam Rihanna lipstick and we all know that practically makes me a professional. "Raven" is an orange-based bright red -- it makes me curious about how it got its name.

The lipsticks are described on the Hourglass website as "a richly pigmented, silky smooth, and velvety matte lip color that delivers extended wear without flaking or dryness". Is it richly pigmented? Richie Rich rich. Is it velvety matte? Delightfully so! Is it silky smooth? I don't really think so, and that's likely where the problem is with this product (but more on that in a sec).

You have to be careful with putting this on -- so much so that I'm not sure I'd recommend this for a freshly sworn-in Beauty Padawan. Describing the applicator is something beyond my own Padawan capabilities, but I think that if you imagine your standard lip gloss applicator, but flat, you'll get a relatively good idea of what it looks like. I think that this is what makes it somewhat tricky to apply -- a gloss can be put on and cleaned up with ease and, in my very limited experience, lipstick not so much.

This product is definitely true to its name, as you only really need one swipe for a fully opaque coverage. You can swipe the applicator over your lips if you feel that you need to even it out, but you need to work quickly. If you keep applying after it starts to set, you run the risk of having blotchy, uneven coverage. It's another reason why this isn't exactly Padawan-friendly.

Once applied, the formula for the Opaque Rouge lipsticks need time to set, however I was not told this when I bought them at Mecca. It does say so on the packaging, but I'm not sure how many people pay attention to the packaging. I know I didn't. Basically, if you rub or touch your lips together, the product will move and it will look uneven. You'll try to reapply it and... it just won't work. Or maybe it will, if you're a Beauty Yoda. For me, it doesn't work -- I learned the hard way.

Just let the lipstick set, and you'll look like Helen of Troy in no time.

Although I haven't worn either lipstick for the 10 to 14 hours that Hourglass says it lasts, it certainly does have a heck of a lot of staying power. Touch it to your fingers and they come away clean. Try to clean the swatches on your hands with a gentle makeup remover and you'll quickly realise you need some elbow power.

After quite a few rubs with a soaked cotton pad!
The cleansing water I used has no problem taking off lipstick and gloss before, so I might need to use a more astringent toner next time.

Wearing "Icon". Yep, I'm providing quality phone camera quality pics.

Icon -- this is my favourite colour to wear, but it's also the most irritating. I am constantly bothered by how it feels on my lips -- that is to say, I can feel it on my lips all the time. It feels like there's a coating of sorts on my lips and it's just... It's really weird. It feels slightly tacky as well, but not overly so -- think of sticky-tape that you've put on and pulled off your skin a couple of times. The first time I had it on, I kept touching my lips together because of the weird tackiness and the colour wore away a little. I consciously try to stop my lips from touching when I wear this, and then it tends to last a good while. I would say that, generally, if you're careful, it's safe for drinking and eating to a point. It is an absolutely gorgeous colour with a velvety look, and it's my favourite of every lip product that I own.

Let me just say, it turns heads.

However. I feel like this is heavy and drying on my lips. There's no silky smooth texture as promised by Hourglass, and it doesn't feel like other matte lipsticks that I've worn. I always exfoliate my lips beforehand, because otherwise it attaches to already dry patches that become glaringly obvious as it wears away.

Check it out.

Pucker up!
This is a sort of "before" shot that I took before going out, to show just how much I apply on my lips. (You can see that I missed a tiny bit, but that's the Padawan curse). I went out for a few hours, ate and drank, and after a few hours, this happened:


Ew, am I right?
You can see, even with this really dodgy quality, how it's worn off the smoother part of my bottom lip, worn off in patches and then kind of feathered into my lip creases (if that's the right way of describing it). I can kind of pull my lower lip in so that this doesn't show, but it's insanely obvious that I need a touch-up when I'm talking. The trickiness with this formula means it's not just as simple as pulling out a mirror and running it over your lips. I either need to wipe it off and put on something else, or apply a lipstick in a close-ish shade over the top (the closest one I have is a deep purple-red colour by Rimmel).

Wearing "Raven" -- in my jim-jams.

Raven -- you probably won't be able to tell with the 5-star quality of my Samsung camera, but this orange-red colour actually makes my skin look a little darker! I'm not sure why that is exactly (but I plan to find out!) but it's still a really cute colour that I really like.

I'm not sure what it is with this formula, but it sits differently only my lips compared to "Icon". I don't feel like I have anything coating it, even after I let it set. That being said, I think that it wears off a little bit quicker. I was getting ready for work and had something to drink before I changed into my work clothes, and I noticed that it had already worn off, whereas "Icon" did not. (I ended up taking it off and applying something else.) This makes "Raven" somewhat more friendly for Beauty Padawans, as I think it gives you a little more time to apply it carefully. It has the matte finish that it promises, but not the velvety look.

I think that the Opaque Rouge lipsticks have been the hardest thing I've had to rate (because, y'know, I've rated sooo many things). One the one hand, I absolutely adore them to pieces, faults and all. On the other, they're not exactly perfect and that's slightly disappointing given its expensive price tag.

Padawan Product Rating: B+

Do you own any of the Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipsticks? Do you have any dupes?

Sarah xo

Saturday 24 May 2014

Wednesday Weekly: Basic (yet tasty!) Pasta Sauce (Vegetarian-Friendly)

I seem to set myself a new record for publishing these posts late, but it's that time of year where studying has to trump all hobbies! My schedule is chock-a-block for the next month, so, sadly, late posts may continue for a little while.

However!

I was supposed to make corn fritter patties or something along those lines, but in the spirit of not having enough time, I instead reached for good old pasta. This sauce can be used in a number of ways: stir-through, lasagne, cannelloni -- if your pasta needs a tomato sauce, this is the recipe I go to. It's kind of my own concoction: lasagne is one of the food groups in my family, so I've played around with it until I got it to where I liked it.

It's great for students and families alike -- you can add whatever you like to it, be it meat or vegies or cheese, or you can keep it plain! This is a basic staple recipe which I think everyone should know, and it may seem a little silly to the cooking aficionados (after all, what's wrong with a jar of Dolmio's?) but with this you know exactly what's in your food, and you'd be surprised just how few people know how to make a basic sauce. Unfortunately, I cook this "the wog way", meaning that I don't really have many measured ingredients -- I kind of just chuck it in!

This should be enough sauce for a family-sized lasagne. I used ravioli for this (over 1kg of it) and it was the perfect amount. I'd say it makes about eight (8) serves, but it's easy to halve as you need. This sauce is also freezer-safe.


This is more or less what you're going to need. It's not exactly everything that I would use, but don't worry, the recipe I'll put up is what I would normally do. I would normally have two jars of passata, but there was only one in the pantry so I added a can of tomato soup (gross, but, y'know, whatever, it gets the job done). I would recommend using a passata (or soup) that has low sugar, as the sauce has more of a rich, tomato flavour. I don't like it to be too sweet, which I find can happen sometimes.


You can see my secret ingredients right there: herbs. I use thyme, oregano, basil flake, rosemary and parsley (or any combination that's available). If you want to use fresh herbs, definitely reach for fresh rosemary -- I find that it's flavour is more potent when it's just been stripped right off the stem. If you only have mixed herbs, that's also fine!

Also: garlic. You can never have too much minced garlic.


If you're going to add minced meat to this, now's the time to cook it. Give your pot a really good splash of olive oil, throw your meat in and cook it until it's browned. Vegetarian alternative: quorn mince and/or onions. I've never cooked with quorn myself, but I've heard you cook it the same way as you do mince. If you're going with onions, sauté them -- that is, cook them until they're clear and soft, but not brown. Throw in a teaspoon of minced garlic if you're feeling keen.


This is the part where you throw in your passata. Make sure to get the most out of every jar: fill it 1/4 to 1/3 of the way with water, give it a shake, and pour it into the pot. If you're using meat, quorn or onion, give it a good stir to make sure that it's evenly distributed through the sauce. If you're not, give it a good stir anyway, and exercise your arm! Then crank the heat up -- we wanna bring this baby to the boil.


This part is my personal favourite: minced garlic. I lied, you can have too much garlic -- just not in this case. I like to throw in three or four teaspoons (sometimes a fifth for good luck) and then I keep stirring the pot. Of course, you don't need to add so much if you don't like it but with winter around the corner, you'll want to keep in mind that this helps keep colds at bay!

Tip: If you're not sure about how much is enough, go slowly with it. Add a teaspoon or two, then smell -- but don't simply stick your nose over the pot and sniff. Engage what I call "The Science Method": waft the steam from your tea towards your nose and you'll get a far better idea about how strong it is. Then, if you want more garlic, add more; if not, leave it.


Now to herb it up! As I said earlier, I don't use any standard measurements. You've got two shakers on a herb jar: the sprinkle side and the danger side (called so because you can easily add waaay too much if you're unfamiliar with it and have a shaky hand). Of course, I like to use the danger side. Give it a nice shake, but, again, you don't want to be too heavy with your hand -- you can always add more later. Give the sauce a really good stir -- you want to be able to see the herbs. If it looks a little sparse, add a little more. Keep engaging The Science Method to moderate scent and taste.



By now your sauce should have been brought to the boil. Once it has, turn it down to a simmer and leave it alone for 30 - 45 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure nothing has burned. You can add some grated cheese at this stage, if you'd like! Just a little to start, wait for it to melt through the sauce, then taste. If you want to add some frozen veg to bulk it up, now's the time for that too. You'll definitely want to taste, to make sure that they cook through.


Eventually you want your sauce to look like a more attractive version of this. By simmering it, you're reducing the sauce and intensifying the flavour, and you want to keep doing so until (if you're using meat) it looks like a proper meaty sauce, or (if you're not using meat) the sauce looks deliciously rich and thick.

Is it too think? That's perfectly alright, you can just add some water (a little at time, in between stirs) until you get the rich consistency.

Of course, unless you're making lasagne, you'll have gotten your pasta cooking while your sauce was simmering away. I went for ravioli, which, like an idiot, I chose to cook in a pot that was too small.

See? So. Stupid.
And in true Sarah-style, I didn't end up taking a picture of my end dish -- I was so focused on trying to get dinner done so that I could get back to cramming that it completely slipped my mind!

Basic Pasta Sauce

Serves 8 (or enough for a family-sized lasagne)

Ingredients

  • 2 x 700g jar passata
  • Olive oil
  • Rosemary
  • Thyme
  • Oregano
  • Basil flakes
  • Dried parsley
  • Minced garlic

Optional Ingredients

  • 500g beef mince (pork & veal mince is also good) OR 500g quorn mince
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 350g frozen mixed vegetables (you can always add more if you want it chunkier)
  • 1 cup grated cheese

Method

  1. Heat oil in saucepan. Brown beef and/or onion, if using. If using quorn, cook per packet instructions.
  2. Add passata to saucepan, turn the heat up to high. Add garlic, rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil and parsley. Give it a good stir. Bring to the boil, then lower to a simmer. Add frozen vegetable, if using. Add cheese, if using. Stir and leave for 30 - 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  3. Turn off the heat and stir it through your favourite cooked pasta. If using as a lasagne sauce, layer between cheese and fresh lasagne sheets (always use fresh! Don't buy the hard ones!).
What would you add to this sauce?

Sarah xo

Saturday 17 May 2014

Product Review: Too Faced's Return of Sexy Eyeshadow Palette

This review has arguably been a long-time coming -- the purchase of this palette, even longer. I've had the photos on my computer for a little while now, and this is by no means a new product from Too Faced. As far as I can tell, it was released over 18 months ago, so it's likely already a part of many makeup collections. It's heavy on the glitter, so it's not going to be everyone's cup of tea -- in fact, the reason why it took me so long to buy the palette is because I wasn't sure that I needed to have so many shimmery shades.
 

So this is the packaging of the eye shadow palette. As you can see, it's a matte black background with gold lettering and lacy trim embossed on it. Having the word 'Sexy' in such a large font really grabs the eye, suggesting the potential for bold, gorgeous, dramatic looks.

 
Taking the palette out of the packaging, I was surprised to find that there was a mini Shadow Insurance eye primer inside with it! I know that this is supposed to be a common occurrence with palettes coming from other high end brands, such as Urban Decay, but the Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette did not come with one, so this was like an exciting little freebie to me!
The palette casing looks the same as the box, except that it's made with a shiny plastic. The product name looks to be set behind a piece of embossed clear plastic -- I personally find this to be a little strange and jarring with my sense of aesthetics, but it's cute nonetheless. The clasp of the palette is more the traditional kind of clicky-clasp (Padawan term), as opposed to the magnetic kind on some of Too Faced's more recent palettes -- this will add some appeal for those who aren't sold on the security of the latter.
 
 
The inside of the palette shows three highlight shades and 12 eye shadows arranged into three kind of "mini-palettes". Notice that none of the shades are matte -- they all have some form of shimmer or glitter in them. A creamy crayon-like pencil eyeliner sits beneath the shadows, with a weird smudgy thing at one end. There are also three concept cards -- one for each mini-palette -- that slot into place behind the mirror, with a day and night look for each one. These cards are of slightly different lengths, so you never have to worry about them getting lost behind the mirror, or having them in the wrong order.
 
 
Here you can get a better look at the concept cards, titled "The Ingénue", "The Icon" and "The Bombshell" respectively. These looks range from everyday glam to more sultry, darker ideas. In the swatches, I'll compare them to the shades from the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette.
 
A closer look at "The Ingénue" shadow assortment.
Swatches of "The Ingénue" shadow assortment.
The first block of shadows, corresponding to "The Ingénue" eye looks, are:
  • Naïve -- a natural shimmery highlight, perhaps close to "White Chocolate" in the Chocolate Bar palette. It swatches sheer, but applies with somewhat more pigment on the lid.
  • Ingénue -- a dark brown gold, kind of like if "Gilded Ganache" and "Crème Brulee" had a love child with a tonne of glitter.
  • Innocent -- similar to "Milk Chocolate" in colour, with some shimmer in it.
  • New In Town -- in the pan, this is a really gorgeous gold glitter shade. I was really excited by it in the store, but it swatches rather more sheer than I'd hoped. However, it builds relatively easily, and it may come off stronger on a wet brush.
  • Casting Couch -- similar to "Triple Fudge" in colour, but with much more glitter. I find that this sometimes has a bit of fallout.
A closer look at "The Icon" shadow assortment.
Swatches of "The Icon" shadow assortment.

The second block of shadows, corresponding to "The Icon" eye looks, are:
  • Pink Diamond -- a shimmery highlight, lighter than "Strawberry Bon Bon" but deeper than "Champagne Truffle". It swatches very sheer, and looks almost invisible on my wrist.
  • Icon -- a kind of light glittery mauve.
  • Divorcée -- this is a sort of glittery black-brown-grey colour (if that even makes any sense), which I think would be suited as a kind of transition colour.
  • Hopeless Romantic -- this shade ended up being the one that got me the most excited. It's quite pigmented and swatches beautifully! Maybe my eye for colour is developing a little better, because the first thing I thought of when I saw it was the colour Radiant Orchid, which I think has been named colour of the year or something along those lines. It's kind of a cool-toned, more magenta-based version of "Black Forest Truffle".
  • Primadonna -- a lighter purple variation of "Candied Violet", this is a really pretty colour that I think makes a really cute liner, especially if you have blue or green eyes. Unlike "Casting Couch", this doesn't have much fallout.
A closer look at "The Bombshell" shadow assortment.
Swatches of "The Bombshell" shadow assortment.
The third block of shadows, corresponding to "The Bombshell" eye looks, are:
  • 7 Year Itch -- Marilyn Monroe, anyone? This highlight shade is a kind of super-shimmery pearl, which means you'll make quite a glam look with it.
  • Bombshell -- this is a really glittery silver colour, which would work nicely as an all-over lid colour if you were going out at night and wanted a really dramatic smokey eye.
  • Hollywood -- a shimmery charcoal grey. I want to say that it's blue-toned buuut I think I'm still too much of a Padawan to have a really good eye for that kinda thing yet.
  • Maneater -- this is a shimmery brown. I'd put it somewhere between "Hazelnut" and "Marzipan".
  • Beautymark -- a very glittery black shade, it makes for a good liner colour but with some fallout. I'm always a little careful when I use this.

This eyeliner came in the palette and has two ends to it. One is, I'm pretty sure, a pencil -- but it's the creamiest pencil I've ever worked with. It glides on smoothly and for the couple of times I've used it, I haven't had to go over it. So far, the wear-time seems to be pretty good as well. The other end is, I think, a smudge tool to create a strong smokey effect with the pencil. Unlike other smudgey things (Padawan term) that I've seen, this isn't rounded but tapered with two flat sides that come together. You'll get a better idea of what I'm talking about in the picture below.

The pencil end -- it didn't look this blurry on my camera!
The smudgey end.
Another one of the reasons why it took me so long to get this review up was that I wanted to try out some of the daytime looks, but I was sick for a little bit and so it took me a while to get the chance! I thought about doing the night looks, but I didn't have any plans to go out and I try to give my skin a break on days when I don't have to leave the house.

The Ingénue.
This is the daytime look for "The Ingénue" and it is my favourite so far. The primer that I use is by Too Faced, and I feel like I need to add a little bit more in order for "New In Town" to show. I also think it's important to pat on the base colour, rather than sweep it across the lid, because otherwise you'll get a sheer colour that looks kinda bland. I found that the shades on "The Ingénue" shadow set tended to have a bit of glittery fallout, so I would definitely recommend doing your foundations afterwards.

A better look at the lids -- don't mind me, just in mah jim-jams!
The Icon.
I liked this look too, because purple normally goes well with my eye colour, however I feel like I can get a better purple look from the Chocolate Bar palette. I'd forgotten about the fallout from the previous shadow set until I was halfway through my foundation, but to my surprise this one didn't have that problem. I got a huge kick out of using "Hopeless Romantic" -- it's just soooo pretty! -- so I think I'll tweak the daytime card look until I get something that's a bit more suited to my tastes.

Much glittery purple-ness.
The Bombshell.
I'm clearly no Marilyn Monroe (nor an Ava Gardner) but this shadow set was the one I was the most excited to try out on the whole -- after all, blacks and greys can make for a really awesome smokey eye. Unfortunately, I was largely disappointed with how this turned out. The day look was more brown than I'd hoped, but the night look just felt like way too much for something that I might wear to work (which is usually where I give new looks a test run!). There was a little bit of fallout, but not as much as with "The Ingénue". I don't think I'll be in a hurry to re-do this one -- I'm more like to follow my own yellow brick road.

See? It's so... brown.
Overall, I quite like this palette. I sometimes wish that the colours had a little more pigment, but they're relatively easy to build -- this way, I supposed you can easily go for a dramatic look if that's what you're into. I can think of a variety of different things that I could do with any of the colours, and I think that I'll very soon start mixing colours to see if my Padawan skills have improved at all!

Padawan Product Rating: B

So, do you own this palette? What do you like to do with it?

Sarah xo