[Review] Make Up Forever Aqua Shadow

 

Please note that this product was sent to me by Make Up Forever for review purpose. However, this is my honest opinion.

 Say hello to the latest addition of Make Up Forever Aqua line, it's Aqua Shadow!

Aqua Shadow is a waterproof eyeshadow pencil with extra colored pigments and long lasting hold, containing a generous jumbo tip. It is both waterproof and long-lasting, resists seawater, chlorinated water and rubbing. And for the pros, this is the promise of fast results an withstand the extreme conditions of the stage or the heat of fashion show.

Despite what the product claims to be, I tested this product based on my daily needs, and that exclude contact with seawater or chlorinated water. Nobody goes to the beach in Jakarta and I don't swim with eyeshadows on, in fact I'm not really fond of swimming. However, wearing waterproof and long-lasting makeup never hurts.

Make Up Forever sent me Aqua Shadow in 24E but I decided to add a more wearable color to my collection and purchased 20E as well. 24E is a sheer pink color with gold shimmer whereas 20E is taupe with silver shimmer. This is basically cream eyeshadow in pencil form. To me that's a promise to practicality. The fat wide tip is helpful for fast application when I am in a rush. Specifically, 20E has been my favorite color for daily basis lately. The color itself mimics the color of my lid so it doesn't really look like I have makeup on. But it's the silver shimmer the really brightens up my eyes. 

In general, I love the texture of this eyeshadow. It's creamy and soft enough that I could just gently pat it to get enough color on my lid - no tugging required! - yet it's not too soft that it saved me from transferring too much product upon application. However, 24E is a little bit more on a drier side. It's doesn't transfer color as easily as 20E.

Aqua Shadow can be used as either eyeshadow or eyeshadow base. I really enjoy wearing this alone on my lid with no primer. And thankfully they don't crease. Yay! The longevity is awesomeness. I put this on the morning and it stays until evening. It does fade a little bit, but it leaves enough pigments on my lid. And I think that's acceptable. As for the waterproof claim, given my lack experience around water and heat, I tried to put the eyeshadow on my lid and rub it vigorously, and here's how the result looks like.

On the left is how the eyeshadow looks like after I rub it with water. As you can see, there are still some pigments left.

By the way, I tried the one with matte finish at MUFE counter, and that one didn't really meet my expectation as well as the shimmery ones I have. It smudged underneath my eyes after only three hours. But it was just my first impression, so don't really rely on my thought about the mattes. I'm still looking for reviews to convince me to buy the matte ones, as the colors are so beautiful.

The application is easy. you can either rub the product to the tip of your finger and then apply it on your lids. Or simply apply the pencil directly to the lid. Make sure to build the color, instead of applying too much product all at once. You'll have enough time to blend the color before it sets. If you want to layer it, wait until the first layer dries, and the add another layer. Here I included a video on how I use Aqua Shadow.

 And here's the swatches of the products:

MUFE Aqua Shadows consists of 12 colors with 7 shimmery finish and 5 mattes. It retails for IDR 250k.

[Review] Chanel Inimitable Waterproof Mascara Multi-Dimensionnel

Chanel Inimitable Waterproof Mascara Multi-Dimensionnel. Wow. Try to say that three times, fast. Seriously, what's with the mouthful name? Nevertheless, I've been wearing this mascara a lot lately, without even knowing the name. It promises everything a mascara could give. Waterproof. Volume. Length. Curl. Separation.

My first encounter with this mascara was three years ago. I borrowed my aunt's all the time while I was traveling so in the end, knowing that Chanel is not available in Indonesia, she gave me. What really impressed me the first time I tried this mascara was how easy it is to use. The applicator is made out of plastic with thin staggering bristles. Makes it really easy to brush through my lashes and separates perfectly.

The texture of the mascara is not too dry, so it gives enough time to work with and doesn't clump. It really does lengthen my eyelashes. Also, mine is in the color 'Noir' and I love the jet black color. The result is very natural, as if I was born with it. Love it!

Speaking about the curl and volume effects, keep in mind that this mascara is not going to automatically curl your lashes. It does hold curl but I still have to use eyelash curler prior to application. It's also not as volumizing as I'd expected. I mean, the effect didn't really wow me (then again, L'oreal Volume Shocking Mascara  set a rather high bar in terms of volume). But at least the color of the mascara is black enough to give the illusion of full lashes.

This mascara was given to me, so I'm not sure how much it retails. I checked on Chanel USA website, and all Chanel mascaras retail for $30 which is kind of pricey for a daily makeup product. However if you managed to get your hand on this mascara, this would look pretty perfect on daily basis.

[Review] Revlon ColorStay™ Crème Gel Liner

ColorStay™ Crème Gel Eye Liner is one of Revlon latest collection and for all I know is Revlon’s first cream eyeliner. Revlon claims this liner to be

• Easily glides to create delicate to dramatic lines
• Waterproof.
• Smudge proof
• Last for 24 hours
• Bold and pigmented color

All rational claims for eyeliner, except the last-for-24-hours part. But then again, why would anyone want to wear eyeliner for 24 hours, I can hardly understand. Before I start, allow me to note something,

• I didn’t test this eyeliner for 24 hours. Then again, I don’t need my eyeliner to last for 24 hours.
• This product was sent to me by Revlon for review purpose. However, this is my honest opinion.
• While trying this, I am currently on Accutane. This means, I my skin is very dry at the moment and the verdict of the review might be bias. I usually write my review based on my oily-combination skin, so the performance might be different. Once I’m done with my treatment and I notice a different result of the product, I will update this review

This eyeliner comes in a glass pot with lid that reminds me of chess pawn. It’s apparently an attached brush applicator. Okay, that’s one point for being practical. All these times, one thing that holds me from wearing gel eyeliner is the fact that I have to buy and keep the applicator separately. But with this packaging, you can carry the applicator along with the liner and keep it clean. It's very easy to use as well. Just attach the base of the applicator and you get an ergonomically appropriate applicator.

 I'm glad that Revlon really put some thought to the applicator. It really works! Not just some crappy applicator that usually comes with beauty product. It's flat with wide surface and it also has enough density. I can easily create thin or thick line, and no tugging required. Impressive! Just a reminder though, this might be just an attached applicator but do treat it like your individual brush. And by that, I mean, don't forget to wash the applicator regularly. You don't want to accumulate bacterias and then use it to apply product on your eyes.

The color I got is Brown. I'd describe it as neutral brown with silver flecks. I think brown eyeliner is appropriate on daily basis. I love how the brown color turns out on me. It blends very well with my skintone. Unlike black that can look too harsh so I have to apply eyeliner in between my lashes, with brown I can settle with just single line on my lashes and the result looks very natural. Again, appropriate on daily basis, especially in a rush.

This product claims to give bold and pigmented color and I couldn't agree more. The color shows up easily in just a single stroke yet you can easily build the color. The soft texture makes it easy to blend and once you're done, it won't budge. For staying power, I wore this from morning to evening and the color didn't smudge and the shimmer stayed intact. But once again I remind you, my skin is currently dry. So it might gives different result on oily lid.

In  the mean time, I have to say that Revlon ColorStay™ Crème Gel Liner impressed me. And totally change my opinion that gel liner equals impractical. Right now this eyeliner is available in every Revlon Revlon counters. There are four color available, and they are Black, Brown, Charcoal, Plum. And it retails for IDR 75k.

[Review] theBalm Meet Matt(e)

 

Hi everyone!

I’m sorry for being MIA for so long. Let me fill you in with some updates. I have finally reached the end of my co-ass (or internship, you might say). Yay! There will still be another test on May, held by government. And if I passed the test, I will officially be a doctor. But at least, the hardest part is now over.

Anyhoo, have you Meet Matt(e)?

Give it up to theBalm for their weird (or funny?) product names with pun intended. The palette, as you can see, has picture of a guy in front of it. I assume he is Matt. It’s kinda funny that when I tried to take pictures of the product, the camera kept focusing on that guy in the cover. The packaging is a sleek, compact carton board with magnetic shut that reminds me a lot of some stila palettes. Inside there are nine eyeshadow and a dual ended tiny eyeshadow brush. The name of the individual eyeshadows is another pun. There are nine different Matts in various races, like Matt Chung, Matt Batali or Matt McDonald. Yeah, I think it’s kinda ridiculous if I posted an FOTD entry and listed Matt Smith, Matt Gallagher and Matt Ramirez as products used. Oh well.. Not that I’m against it, it just feels kinda weird, that’s all.

 However, I sing a totally different tune when it comes to the quality of these eyeshadows. I wasn’t so surprised with the intense pigmentation as theBalm eyeshadows are famous for that. The colors show up so easily but you can adjust it if you want less pigmentation, say when you apply colors on the crease. Awesome! It’s the smooth consistency that amazed me. I really didn’t expect it from a matte eyeshadow. I always a little bit permissive when it comes to matte eyeshadow. For all I know, matte eyeshadow tends to apply a little bit chalky and powdery but I found none of those problems with this palette. Make sure you tap the excess products before applying the eyeshadow, and you’re safe from eyeshadow fall out on application. Double awesomeness!

The color selection is great as well. I love how most of these eyeshadows have neutral undertone so it works for everyone. It even has two highlight colors, Matt Smith as warm beige-based highlight and Matt Chung as pink based highlight. Matt Gallagher and Matt Patel are my two most favorite crease colors. While the other colors are great to darkened the outer corner of the eye.

Of course, the dream when buying a makeup palette would be to have one palette that covers all the colors you need from base, crease, highlight to definition. But as you can see all colors in this palette are mostly dark colors. Now except for the browns, the colors in the palette don’t really coordinate with each other. Matt Ramirez, Matt McDonald and Matt Batali are great for definition color, especially when you go smoky. Matt Patel, Matt Gallagher, Matt Horowitz and Matt Schilling are great for crease. I rarely apply medium to dark eyeshadow on my lid, but if you like, Matt Schilling and Mat Horowitz could be your options. But in my opinion, with nine eyeshadows available, there is not enough color gradation to play with. Now this is not a problem with me because the reason I bought this palette at the first place is to get many matte colors in one palette at once. I already have enough eyeshadows in various colors and finishing, other than matte. And I hope this palette will complete my eyeshadow collection. Still, I don’t think this is the kind of palette that can be used alone. If you are still building your makeup collection, I’d suggest to postpone purchasing this palette and collect other palettes that have more colors combination and different finishing first. But if you have enough shimmery/glittery/satiny eyeshadows in your collection, then this palette would be a great addition.

  

theBalm Meet Matt(e) retails for $34.50 and is available at theBalm website. I purchased mine via my online seller while theBalm was having Friends and Family Sale.

FOTD: Balmbini Face

Hi guys!

This is an FOTD I came up with last week. I was playing with my theBalm Balmbini Palette that I purchased on my last holiday. There's a face chart on the back of the packaging, I thought I'll just give it a go. I found I really fancy makeup charts on some makeup packaging lately. I feel like it spoils me, in a way I don't have to think about what color I should use and where to put. Anyway, in this FOTD, I used all theBalm products in the palette.

This is how the makeup chart looks like.

A little bit about Balmbini palette, it literally is a definition of 'Babies of theBalm' as written on the packaging. All the products inside, for all I know, are the best of theBalm. At least there are so many products in this palette that I wanted to try initially, and I was thinking about purchasing each of the products individually. Thank God they made this palette. Imagine how much money I saved up by just buying this palette alone! theBalm is really in right now. Feels like everybody raved about this brand, so this palette is a great introduction to so many theBalm products. I haven't played with this palette that much that I don't think I can come up with a review post yet. But my initial thought about this palette is, I'm so glad I decided to purchase this!

Close up of the eye. My liquid liner is a bit messy here and I have my reason, which I'll tell you soon.

I followed the face chart exactly, so you can see what products I was wearing from the picture above. I used only one eyeshadow on my lid, which is something I rarely do. But it looked good enough, in my opinion. The color 'Insane Jane' is already beautiful on it's own. Who says makeup has to be complicated?

'Read My Lips' lipstick is a pinky red color, which is not really my cup of tea. I prefer a warm deep red. So in this look, I applied just a sheer amount of the lipstick and then layered it with 'Wanted' gloss. I believe all the products in this palette are available in permanent collectionm yet I looked at theBalm website and couldn't find both the lipstick and the gloss. But then again, these two don't really impressed me anyway, so I don't really care.

Other products that I used in this look are
On Face:
Graftobian HD Creme Foundation 'Desert Sand'
Urban Decay Razor Sharp Ultra Definition Finishing Powder
Bobbi Brown Corrector 'Peach'
MUFE Lift Concealer '3'

On eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion 'Eden'
My eyebrows set
MUFE Aqua Eyes'1L'
Bourjois Liner Clubbing 'Absolute Black'
L'oreal Volume Shocking Mascara

[Review] Make Up Forever La Boheme Palette

La Boheme Palette is Make Up Forever's first baked eyeshadow palette. According to the website,

Six new limited-edition shades in extremely pearly springtime pastel tones. The baked powder technology ensures fine, intense color particles for eyeshadows with 50% pearly particles and a paraben-free formula. Incredibly fresh and luminous makeup and intense, Bohemian chic eyes. The eyeshadows of this palette glide on with fingertips or a brush for two different results: applied dry for a sheer, luminous and natural effect or wet for an intense look, filled with pearly particles.

The palette comes in a cardboard packaging with patchwork design and stitches all over. With a purple ribbon on the side, it opens up like a book and displays six eyeshadows in convex form, placed side by side. I'm not really excited with the placing of these eyeshadows. It creates super messy sparkle between each other after application.

This is my very first time trying out baked eyeshadow. Baked eyeshadow is promoted as eyeshadow that needs to be applied wet for vibrant finish. While dry application gives you subtle and sheer finish. All these times the word 'sheer' holds me from purchasing baked eyeshadow. And yet, out of curiosity, I decided to give this palette a try.

Six eyeshadows in this palette are Green Lagoon, Vegetal Green, Beige, Parma Purple, Brown and Coral. Natural Green and Beige have pearly finish while the others have sparkly finish.

Dry application.
Apparently, when applied dry, these eyeshadows are not super sheer like I thought it was going to be. In general they deliver great pigmentation in subtle colors. The shimmer and sparkle don't really show up which makes it appropriate for day time look. However keep in mind that eyeshadow with sparkly to glittery finish are really prone to fall out, especially when applied dry. Green Lagoon is the only color that applies sheer even on top of primer. Brown is a bit chalky when applied on it's own as you can see in the picture below, but a layer of primer underneath it could totally fix the problem.

Wet application.
Considering baked eyeshadows are meant to be applied wet, obviously these eyeshadows give the best performance when applied wet. The colors are more vibrant and they have sort of a metallic touch to it. Wet application really emphasizes the undertone and the shimmer and sparkle in these eyeshadows. Which makes some of these even prettier and other are even scarier, depends on whether or not you like glittery eyeshadows (Eventhough it describes as sparkly, Parma Purple and Coral look more glittery rather than sparkly). Wet application also decrease the chance of having glitter fall out since it automatically turns into a creamy consistency. It sticks better to the base and applied effortlessly. Lagoon Green shows its true color when applied wet. It has a beautiful greenish gold shimmer which makes it unique. I didn't understand why they named a turquoise eyeshadow as green, but I can totally see it once it applied wet.

You can either wet your brush and then dip the brush to the eyeshadow or pick up the eyeshadow with dry brush and then wet it either by spraying it using setting spray like MUFE Mist & Fix or carefully dip to water (just a bit!!!!!). I recommend the latter because that way you get the eyeshadow soaked evenly and saves you from chalky application. I currently don't have any setting spray so I just touched the surface of the eyeshadow-covered of the brush on a wet tissue. (Not the best option, definitely thinking about purchasing Mist & Fix)

Click for larger image

I swatched these eyeshadows in three different form. On it's own, on primer (Urban Decay Primer Potion 'Eden') and wet. Most of the colors show up as pigmented on it's own except for Lagoon Green. But of course I always recommend applying eye primer as a base. And as you can see Lagoon Green looks much better when applied on top of a primer. While dry application is enough to make these eyeshadows stand out, wet application delivers more vibrant pigmentation and enhances the sparkle and shimmer of the eyeshadows.

As for the color combination. There are two colors that can work as highlight, which is Beige and Coral. And only one color that works as definition color, which is Brown. Beige and Coral look pretty as highlight. But constantly pairing all the shadows just with Brown could end up in boredom. But, back to the main inspiration of the collection. Bohemian is about living freely without following the conventional rules. So go ahead and be creative with this palette (which is more like an invitation for myself).

In the end, I'd recommend this palette. If you like or you wanna try baked eyeshadow. If you like or don't mind glittery eyeshadow. This palette doesn't disappoint.

I hope you find this review helpful for you. Especially if you are thinking about purchasing the palette, hope this review could be a reference. I tried to post this review as soon as I can considering this is a limited edition. If you're interested, Make Up Forever La Boheme Palette is available at IDR 525k.

Tips on Wearing Pixie Epoxy

No no no.. This is not a review. I don't need to review Pixie Epoxy, this baby sells itself.

Never heard about it? Let's start with an introduction. Let's just say, if you haven't tried any Fyrinnae products, my very first advice would be to visit this link and start browsing. Pixie Epoxy is Fyrinnae's idea of eyeshadow 'glue'. It is made to be worn underneath your eye makeup and hold the sparkliest, glitteriest (okay, those are not really words) eyeshadows you have. Just like another glitter glue, huh? Well, Pixie Epoxy also gives you the 'wet look' eye makeup without having to wet your brush or your eyeshadow. Still not convincing enough? How about a picture?

My point, exactly.

It comes in a tube with doe foot applicator. It literally looks like a white glue from outside. But once you apply this and blend it on your lid, it turns transparent. For $7 you get 10ml of products which doesn't seem like a lot but since you need just a small amount for each application, this one tube will last long enough.

This entry is just to give some tips on applying Pixie Epoxy. All based on my own experience. And here they are:

1. Not a primer. Fyrinnae website specifically mention that this product is not a primer or base. It is recommended to put a primer first before applying Pixie Epoxy. However, I sometimes skip eye primer when wearing this and I don't have problems with my eye makeup fading at the end of the day. Then again, it's a trial and error thing.
2. Pat pat pat away... Pixie Epoxy (Can I just call it PE from now on, only in this post?) has a sticky consistency (hence, this is an eyeshadow glue) so sweeping your brush wouldn't give you the smoothest result. I like patting my brush on top of this. Works a lot better. After you applied this, wait for it to dry a bit (it will still feel sticky) then pat your eyeshadow. I once applied my eyeshadow while PE was still wet and I had my eyeshadow sank into my eye fold.
   
3. Doesn't need to be everywhere. Working with sticky base could be tricky. Sometimes it holds you from blending your eyeshadow. The thing with PE is that you need just a little bit of it. I usually put this on areas that don't require a lot of blending, and that would be my lid and my brow bone area. Inner corner would work as well. I don't like applying this on my crease as I need to blend a lot in that area. Then again, I don't wear glitter on my crease.
   
4. Not suitable for matte. Just no. As if you didn't have enough problems with matte already. Applying PE underneath your mattes will make it super sticky to the base so you'll be having a hard time blending and the eyeshadow will look cakey. I learned it the hard way.
   
5. If you didn't have this already, you need this!
   

Possible Dupe for MAC Parisian Skies?

Hi guys! Remember MAC Bloggers Obsession Collection? The collection came out on May 2011 where MAC did a collaboration with 8 famous bloggers to create a line of eyeshadows and lipglasses. I purchased two products from that collection. They are Parisian Skies eyeshadow by Lesley Ellen from Lipstick Powder N Paint and Hocus Pocus eyeshadow by Lianne from The Makeup Girl.

Those two were the only products that caught my attention. I wasn't really into Hocus Pocus at first, but when I saw a closer swatch of this eyeshadow, I fell in love right away. Parisian Skies is also another beautiful color from this collection. It's an grey-ish blue with blue shimmer. So pretty! I thought it's an original color since I've never seen color like that before nor that I had any color like that in my collection.

Last month I visited Revlon counter and purchased Revlon Satin eyeshadow in Peacock Lustre. I didn't realize, but when I got home and browsing through my makeup, I looked at Parisian Skies and somehow I thought Parisian Skies and Peacock Lustre look quite similar in the pan. So I started to do comparison on both eyeshadows. Basically, these two have the same idea of color, which is greyish blue. And both are satin finish. Peacock Lustre has silver shimmer while Parisian Skies has blue shimmer which is why the blue tone is stronger.

Unfortunately, when swatched, these two are not exactly the same. Parisian Skies looks darker. So it's safe to say that these two are not 100% dupe of each other. Here's the swatch of both eyeshadows.

I think the way to describe it is, Peacock Lustre is a lighter version of Parisian Skies. However if you missed Bloggers Obsession and Parisian Skies eyeshadow, and you like the color, Peacock Lustre could be an alternative. I personally like this color. Still, I think it's unique color and even my warm skintone can pull it off. Would be great for smoky eyes as well. It's also a cheaper alternative. I own some Revlon single eyeshadows from their Matte, Perle and Satin eyeshadows, and so far I'm satisfied with the quality.

If you're interested, Revlon Satin Peacock Lustre and other Revlon single eyeshadows are available at Revlon counter and retails for IDR 40k for 2,4 grams of product. As comparison, MAC eyeshadow retails for IDR 220k for 1,5 grams of product.

[Review] Sariayu Etnika Nusa Tenggara. Kelimutu Eyeshadow Trio.

New collection of the annual Sariayu Color Trend has finally came out! Sariayu Color Trend is one of the most anticipated annual collection from Indonesian brand. At least for me. I'm always curious about what are they going to come up with, every year. Color Trend 2012 is inspired by Nusa Tenggara, hence the name Etnika Nusa Tenggara. This year's collection consists of two theme, Bena Collection and Kelimutu Collection. I was already curious about Color Trend 2012 since Fashionesedaily tweet about it at the launching of the collection.

I went to Martha Tilaar counter, unfortunately the closest Martha Tilaar counter didn't have the complete collection yet. Not that I wanted to buy them all, but I wanted to see the whole new products. I specifically wanted Kelimutu eyeshadow trio (back then I didn't know the name, but I wanted the 'blue eyeshadow trio') and that's the only eyeshadow trio at the counter. The sales lady told me the other trio from Bena collection is an earthy tones colors trio, so I decided that I don't need that. I went home with just Kelimutu eyeshadow trio.

Based on the product description, this eyeshadow trio is enriched with Pomegranate extract and vitamin E. As well as UV protection.

Now if you’ve been following Sariayu Color Trend, then you must have realized that they changed the packaging of the eyeshadow trio since last year. Size wise, it is obviously bigger. Before you got 3,6 grams of products. Now, with the new packaging, you get 7,5 grams which is a bit more than twice the previous amount but the price doesn’t rise twice as much. I love the fact that the new packaging has a transparent exterior so you can see what’s inside. The old packaging has picture all over the packaging, so you can’t tell which is which, unless you read the name in the back of the packaging. The opening is also different. The old one opens vertically while the new one opens horizontally but that doesn’t really matter to me.


If you’re not from Indonesia and wondering about the name, Kelimutu, it’s a name of mountain and lake in East Nusa Tenggara. This eyeshadow trio is inspired by the lake. Lake Kelimutu is a three-colored lake that changes color in an unpredictable time (Google for more info). Sariayu translates the colors of the lake into their eyeshadow trio. Cool idea.

The trio comes with a dual-ended sponge and brush application that doesn’t even worth to mention. I tried it and I must say, even broom feels softer on my skin. So forget it. If you purchased this, throw the applicator right away.

As for the eyeshadows, I’d describe the colors as lime green, turquoise and navy blue. I love how the colors are color-coordinated so you can wear all three together in one look. Like always, Sariayu doesn’t come up with highlight color. If you see the advertorial, you’ll see most of the time they do couture makeup more than daily makeup so the placement of the eyeshadow is unusual. Of course you can just add your own highlight color.

The finish of these three eyeshadows is shimmery. While the green and turquoise can really be described as shimmery the way they look in the pan, the navy blue looks shimmery in the pan but the shimmer doesn’t really translate when applied. It looks like a matte blue with blue sparkles. Out of the three, the navy blue is the one that has a drier texture and a little bit chalky when swatched, but it applied just fine and pigmented enough for a definition color. The turquoise and the green have a smoother texture. As for pigmentation, the green one is a bit sheer although a touch of primer could help. The turquoise, in my opinion, is the most stand out color in this trio. It has great texture and very pigmented. Merak Kasmaran trio from Color Trend 2009 also has a turquoise eyeshadow in it. In my eyes, both turquoise from Merak Kasmaran and Kelimutu look exactly the same.



Overall, I’m glad that Sariayu has something bold yet wearable to offer from their collection. Usually the brand comes up with earthy tones color that, at one point, will get boring. Or they come up with colors, but they’re usually too pastel or lean toward cool undertone. The idea of this palette reminds me a lot of Merak Kasmaran, which also has bold color combination. And mind you, Merak Kasmaran was pretty booming when launched. So hopefully the same thing will happen with this trio. The quality doesn’t disappoint. Some of the minor problems I previously mentioned isn’t going to stop you from having fun with this trio. After all, with the price tag, I can’t complain much. I’m just disappointed with the fact that the turquoise in this trio is a repetition from previous collection (and also the fact that the turquoise color is included in Sariayu 25th Anniversary Palette, I think we’ve had enough).

Sariayu Kelimutu eyeshadow trio is available at IDR 42k. Sariayu Martha Tilaar is partnering with WWF so with every purchase of each Sariayu product, IDR 500 will be donated for Mount Mutis Nature Reserve, Nusa Tenggara. There you go, beautify yourself while doing good deeds.

And here's some looks that I created using this trio. I tried to create a winged eyeshadow look but I guess that failed. Haha..I need to learn more.

[Review] Urban Decay Naked Palette

After playing with this palette a lot, I think it's time to share my thought in this blog. First of all, if you've been following this blog, you'll know that my makeup leans more towards natural, warm colors. I rarely wear bright colors for my eyes. Which is why, I think this palette really suits my taste. I wanted it the first time it launched and as I wrote earlier, my sister gave this palette for me.

The palette comes in a simple sleek brown velvety box. It has the same material with Deluxe Shadow Box. The velvety material easily attracts dust and I've been keeping my Deluxe Shadow Box in a separate pouch in my beauty container and I do the same for my Naked Palette.

As you all know, Urban Decay is great in providing colorful eye shadows, in fact they have a wide range of many colored eyeshadows you can pick. I bet you all also know, that Urban Decay also has a habit to pack their eyeshadows with loads of glitter. Naked Palette, however, is almost the opposite if the usual. It's not a colorful palette and it isn't packed with glitter, well not much. Inside the palette you have 12 full size eyeshadows, a mini size of their Primer Potion and a flat shader Good Karma brush. I'm not gonna talk a lot about the quality of the eyeshadows as Urban Decay's eyeshadow never disappoints. They're all very pigmented, smooth and easy to blend with minimum fallout.

At a glance, you'd think you'll get just warm brown colors with this palette. Yes, there are so many warm browns dominate the palette (they put Buck, Half Baked, Smog and Darkhorse next to each other so you immediately see warm-tone palette), but you actually get more variations than that. You can use Sin, Toasted, Hustle to create a neutral look. Or even go smokey by adding Creep or Gunmetal to your eye makeup. This palette is not that naked, you know.


There are two eyeshadows you can use as highlight, and they are Virgin and Sin. Virgin has more of a neutral beige undertone with satin finish while Sin is a frosty champagne. I wish this palette has a warm tone highlight color as the colors in the palette are mostly warm. I don't see Sin goes with warm colors like Half Baked or Smog. Also, Sin is in almost EVERY Urban Decay palettes. We've had enough, already.

This palette also has matte finish eyeshadows. And there are two of them, Naked and Buck. Two is already a lot for Urban Decay that doesn't usually gives matte color in their palette. Some people say that these two colors are lighter and darker version of each other. I personally think they're different. Naked is more neutral while Buck is warmer and it has a red undertone to it. Naked is a little bit too light for my skintone. But I can still wear it on my lid if I don't want too much color. Both are also great to blend colors on the crease.

You can all be happy to know that there is only one glittery eyeshadow in this palette. Yay!! And it's Sidecar. The glittery finish might scare you. But I personally love this color. I use it with Fyrinnae Pixy Epoxy underneath, of course, to prevent glitter fallout. But once you get to work with this eyeshadow, it's actually a beautiful color. From what I see, it's a pinkish taupe eyeshadow. Doesn't really give too much color but the glitter really gives a luxurious feel to it. So even if you're not a fan of glitter, give this shadow a chance to shine.

Here's the swatches of the eyeshadows

Left to right: Virgin - Sin - Naked - Sidecar - Buck - Half Baked - Smog - Darkhorse - Toasted - Hustle - Creep - Gunmetal

And here's some of the looks I created using this palette.

Naked Look 1

Lid - Sidecar
Crease - Naked (inner), Buck (outer)
Outer Corner - Darkhorse
Highlight - Virgin
Inner Corner - Sin
Lower Lashline - UD 24/7 Liner Whiskey

Naked Look 2 (from this look)

Lid - Smog
Inner Crease - Naked, Buck
Outer Lid - Darkhorse
Outer Corner - Creep
Lower Lashline - Smog
Inner Corner - Sin
Highlight - Virgin

Naked Look 3

Lid - Fyrinnae Pixy Epoxy, Sidecar
Outer Lid - Toasted
Crease - Toasted
Outer Corner - Hustle, Creep
Highlight - Sin
Lower Lashline - UD 24/7 Liner Rockstar

Naked Look 4 (from this look)

Lid - Naked
Crease - Smog
Inner Corner - NYX JEP 'Milk', Virgin
Highlight - Sin
Lower Lash - UD 24/7 Rockstar

Good Karma brush that comes in the palette is also a great addition. It's not just a 'bonus' brush with zero quality. Good Karma is Urban Decay's official brush line. And in this palette they give a full size shadow brush, which can also be purchased separately. It has synthetic bristles, densely packed and picks up enough products to be applied on lid. I was thinking about getting MAC 239 before I got this. But now that I have this brush, I don't think it's necessary anymore.


Overall, I think this palette suits more for people with warm undertone, despite the fact you have more variations of undertones in this palette. Still, in general, this palette leans towards warm. From what I see, cool undertone girls might not have enough options with this palette. This is also a great option if you prefer natural looks, rather than colorful look. Or if you want your natural colored eyeshadows to be in one palette so that you don't have to shop for others for a while. For me, I'm very much satisfied with this palette, as expected. And I probably won't be shopping any brown eyeshadows, as I have enough supply from this palette already. Well, unless I feel like shopping, of course ;)