Looks: Soft Burgundy Gold

Lid: Boots No. 7 Wheatsheaf 55
Crease: Stars Makeup Haven Taz
Outer Corner: Mac Embark
Highlight: Mac Blanc Type

Have you tried any of Boots No. 7's eyeshadows?

I will review and swatch them soon. =)

Review: EcoTools Bamboo Bronzer Brush

The EcoTools Bamboo Bronzer brush is one of the prizes for my current giveaway

and it is brand new and unused. 

The one that I'm reviewing in this post is from my personal brush collection. 

Don't worry, I don't give away used cosmetics or used brushes. =)

EcoTools Bamboo Bronzer Brush 

Pros:

• feels teddy bear soft
• bristles are densely packed
• no shedding
• no dye bleeding
• no funky smell
• easy to wash, no staining
• great size for applying bronzer all over the body (as long as you don't mind wasting product because the bristles absorb a bit of the product)
• not expensive
• base is flat, handle can stand upright

Cons:

• head is too big for applying foundation in the small crevices of the face
• too dense and big for the cheek area, not ideal for applying blush
• too big for contouring
• not ideal for buffing out over applied products, such as blush (the brush can rub off your makeup)
• the bristles absorb some of the product (liquid and powder), which means you will have to use more product
• takes more than 14 hours to dry

The EcoTools brush is one of the softest brush that I've felt. It's quick and easy to use when applying liquid or powder foundation because the bristles are super dense; however, I recommend applying your foundation first before applying your eye makeup because it's hard to work around the small crevices of your face with the brush and you might end up ruining your eye makeup, if you're not careful. I also notice that with the EcoTools brush, some of the foundation gets wasted because it's being absorbed by the bristles when I buff. Although I use a little bit more foundation with the EcoTools brush, the coverage that I get is not as good as the coverage that I get from my Mac 187 brush. However, it's made from "taklon bristles, a recycled aluminum ferrule, and a bamboo handle". So, it's cruelty free and environmentally friendly .

Bottom Line: I recommend getting the EcoTools brush if you're always in a rush or on a budget. If you don't mind wasting product, and want something quick & easy to use, then this brush is ideal for you. The bristles are super soft & dense and I haven't experienced any shedding, dye bleeding or funky smell. 

EcoTools Bamboo Bronzer Brush Compared to:

Royal & Langnickel BC180 $14.99 (review) - It's made of natural bristles, has a smaller head, & sheds 1-2 hairs after each wash. Although the bristles are less dense than the EcoTools brush, the Royal & Langnickel brush is still a dense brush itself and is by no means flimsy. It's ideal for applying bronzer, mineral & powder foundation and for buffing out over applied products, such as blush.

Mac 109 Small Contour Brush $32 (review) - It's made of natural bristles and has a significantly smaller head. It's ideal for contouring because the brush is dense & firm and the head fits perfectly in the hollow of my cheeks.

Mac 182 Buffer Brush Couture Limited Edition $55 (review) - It's made of natural bristles, is less dense, and has a wider head. It's ideal for applying setting powder, buffing out over applied products, such as blush, and for buffing in mineral & powder foundation, if you don't want heavy coverage. 

Note: The EcoTools Bamboo Bronzer brush measures 5.5 inches and you can purchase this at Ulta, Target, and drugstore.com for around $10.

How do you use the EcoTools Bamboo Bronzer brush?

*This post contains affiliate links. None of the products mentioned are sponsored.

Swatches & Comparisons: Rimmel London 621 Orion Eyeshadow Trio

Pros:

• not expensive compared to other eyeshadows, such as Mac 
• doesn't crease when used with a primer
• no fallouts during application
• good color payoff when layered and used with a primer, such as Urban Decay's Primer Potion
• applies and blends easily 

Cons:

• fades a bit after 8 hours, even with a primer

Shade 2 - beige white with a shimmery finish

Shade 1 - nudish tan with a soft shimmery finish that's not too frosty when applied on the eyes; 
color is very subtle and great for everyday; 
looks misleading because in the pan, 
it looks more like a shimmery taupe shade under artificial lighting

Mac Cork - warm medium brown with a matte finish

Mac Espresso - neutral dark brown with a matte finish

Shade 3 - neutral medium espresso brown with a matte finish; 
lighter than Mac Espresso, but darker than Mac Cork

The quality of Shade 1 is good, but I'm not too ecstatic about the color itself, which is just a personal preference. The color is too subtle and plain for me. Another issue that I have with this trio is that the highlight shade is shimmery, which can look overpowering or too dramatic for daytime use. I prefer highlight shades to have a matte or satin finish. If you do use the highlight shade in the Rimmel trio, make sure you blend it well to create a softer finish or else it'll look too frosty. Shade 3 is really the only color that I like in this trio because it's perfect as a crease shade.

Bottom Line: Although this trio is not as pigmented as Mac or Urban Decay eyeshadows, I still recommend it if you like the colors because the quality is good for a drugstore brand, but I personally wish that the highlight shade had a matte finish and that the lid shade was a more eye catching color like Mac Jest, Mac Naked Lunch or Urban Decay Sellout because those colors brighten up your eye look, while still looking appropriate for an everyday look. 

Note: The Rimmel Orion eyeshadow trio contains 4.2g and you can purchase this at Ulta and drugstore.com for around $5. As with any drugstore product, I would definitely wait for a sale because there is always a "buy one, get one half off" or even a "buy one, get one for free" sale.

Have you tried any of Rimmel's eyeshadow trios?

*This post contains affiliate links. None of the products mentioned are sponsored.

Swatches and Review: Maybelline Natural Smokes Eyeshadow Quad

Pros:

• not expensive compared to other eyeshadows, such as Mac & Urban Decay
• doesn't crease when used with a primer
• no fallouts during application (except for the lid shade)
• crease and liner shade has good color payoff when layered and used with a primer, such as Urban Decay's Primer Potion
• crease and liner shade applies and blends easily 

Cons:

• fades a bit after 8 hours, even with a primer
• lid shade is difficult to apply and blend

Base - pale beige with a satin finish; looks matte under artificial lighting and is a little bit chalky;
decent color payoff when layered and used with a primer; applies and blends decently 

Lid - shimmery taupe with microglitters; decent color payoff when layered and used with a primer;
difficult to apply and blend; some fallouts during application

Crease - shimmery neutral brown; good color payoff when layered and used with a primer;
applies and blends easily

Liner - matte charcoal espresso; good color payoff when layered and used with a primer;
applies and blends easily

The lid, liner and crease color are too close in intensity and it's difficult to get any contrast from them when applied onto the eyes. It almost looks like I have a black eye when I use the palette as directed by wearing all 4 of the shades together. However, the colors look nice when used separately or when used with other eyeshadows. For example, it looks really nice when I use Urban Decay Sellout on the lids with the Maybelline crease color on my crease and the Maybelline liner color on my outer corner. 

The problem that I have with this quad is the lid color because it is the hardest to work with, but you can still get decent color payoff when layered and used with a primer. It just takes a little more work to blend and I have to use a transition color, such as Mac Soft Brown, to create that faded and blended look.

Side Note: This is another reason why I'm not a huge fan of pre-made palettes. There is always a shade that I'm not too fond of and it's a waste of money to buy a pre-made palette if I'm just going to use some of the colors and not all of the colors. I much prefer eyeshadow singles. 

By the way, the lid color looks disgusting in the pan. Usually, an eyeshadow will look like that or will have a "shiny film" on top when oil gets on it. I never swatch my eyeshadows using my fingers because our hands produce natural oils, and I always use a clean brush to apply. So, I don't know why the lid shade in the Maybelline quad looks like that.

Bottom Line: The crease and liner shades are great, but the lid color is really a pain to work with. Since the price is pretty cheap, you have to expect the quality to be compromised. In other words, you get what you pay for, but please keep in mind that there are mixed reviews about this quad. So, maybe I just got a defective one? It is also important to note that Maybelline recently changed their packaging and the one that I'm reviewing has the new packaging.

Note: The Maybelline eyeshadow quad contains 4.8g and you can purchase this at Ulta, Target and drugstore.com for around $5. As with any drugstore product, I would definitely wait for a sale because there is always a "buy one, get one half off" or even a "buy one, get one for free" sale.

Have you tried any of Maybelline's eyeshadow quads?

*This post contains affiliate links. None of the products mentioned are sponsored.

Swatches & Review: Revlon Luxurious Color Eyeshadow Singles (Part 1)

If you follow my blog, then you know that I recently got a bunch of drugstore products 
for free from a wonderful friend. =) 

I will still review & swatch mid-range to high-end cosmetics, especially after Sephora's 20% off sale, 
but for now, just enjoy some swatch comparisons of drugstore and mid-range cosmetics.

Top Left to Right: 001 Vintage Lace Matte, 055 Sunlit Sparkle Perle, 010 Polished Bronze Satin

Bottom Left to Right: 020 Nude Slip Satin, 040 Brushed Copper Perle, 015 Shimmering Sienna Satin

The eyeshadows that are labeled "Matte" have a matte finish.

The eyeshadows that are labeled "Perle" have a shimmery finish with microglitters.

The eyeshadows that are labeled "Satin" have a buttery texture 
and a shimmery finish that is not too frosty.

Pros:

• not expensive compared to other eyeshadows, such as Mac & Urban Decay
• good color payoff when layered and used with a primer, such as Urban Decay's Primer Potion
• doesn't crease when used with a primer
• blends easily
• applies smoothly

Cons:

• fades a bit after 8 hours, even with a primer
• some fallouts during application (especially with the "Perle" eyeshadows)
• gets dusty and crumbly in the pan

Left to Right: 001 Vintage Lace, 055 Sunlit Sparkle, 010 Polished Bronze

Mac Blanc Type - pale white beige with a hint of pink; matte finish; more pigmented than Vintage Lace

Revlon 001 Vintage Lace - pale white beige; matte finish; more beige than Blanc Type

It doesn't look chalky when applied on the browbone as a highlight color. 

It's a great cheap alternative to Blanc Type.

Revlon 055 Sunlit Sparkle - beige with a hint of champagne; shimmery finish with microglitters

From a distant, it looks like a pretty shimmery color, but upclose and under direct lighting, 

you can see tiny sparkles. The tiny sparkles look pretty and not like ugly chunky glitters, 

but I would still reserve this for night time use.

Revlon 010 Polished Bronze - cool toned brown with a taupey sheen; shimmery finish; buttery texture

It's too light for me to use as a crease color. 

I prefer to use it as a lid color, but I wish it was a little bit lighter.

Left to Right: 020 Nude Slip, 040 Brushed Copper, 015 Shimmering Sienna

Revlon 020 Nude Slip - peachy tan; shimmery finish; buttery texture

Mac All That Glitters - peachy pink with gold shimmers; shimmery finish; 
more pink than Brushed Copper 

Revlon 040 Brushed Copper - peachy pink; shimmery finish with microglitters

Mac Antiqued - coppery brown; shimmery finish

Revlon 015 Shimmering Sienna - coppery brown with a stronger brown undertone;
slightly darker than Antiqued; shimmery finish; buttery texture

Bottom Line: Revlon's Luxurious Color Eyeshadows are not as pigmented as other brands, such as Mac or Urban Decay. However, they are still workable and usable, as long as you put a little effort into it and use a good eyeshadow primer. Also, I recommend doing your eye makeup before applying your foundation so that it'll be easier to wipe off the eyeshadow fallouts. I definitely recommend this for people who are on a budget or for people who are just starting out with makeup.

Note: Each eyeshadow contains 2.4g and you can purchase this at Ulta, Target and drugstore.com for around $4. As with any drugstore product, I would definitely wait for a sale because there is always a "buy one, get one half off" or even a "buy one, get one for free" sale.

I will post swatches of the other Revlon single eyeshadows soon. =)

Have you tried any of Revlon's single eyeshadows?
Would you purchase it?

*This post contains affiliate links. None of the products mentioned are sponsored.