Evercolor Shadow Stick by Mally Beauty - 5 Second Review

Had to share....honestly, I've had such great luck with most of the new products in my kit this year!  This one, um...not so much.  I love Mally Roncal...supremely sassy makeup artist to several celebrities.  She talented, fun and beautiful so I really wanted to like her new line of makeup products.  I picked up her EverColor Shadow Stick at Ulta the other day.  In the store, I loved the champagne shimmer shade and was intrigued by easy application so I thought I'd give it a try.

I swatched it out on the back of my hand at the store and it looked like this:

So, the next morning, I did a simple champagne eye, blended it out, added a little black liner and was out the door.  It was super easy to apply and blend and looked great.....at first.  This product totally changed!!!  Within about an hour, my eyelids felt really dry and cakey and I have oily skin and (typically) oily eyelids, so for them to feel dry?  Holy cow.  Also, the pretty shimmer had changed to SPARKLE, as in glitter sparkle.  Remember the old school Mary Kate and Ashley cosmetics for girls and pre-teens way back in the day?  Like that.  The kind of glitter that is too much for daytime and unflattering for a woman in her 40s....if you've ever taken a lesson or class from me, you've seen me demonstrate the difference!  The subtle champagne "shimmer" turned chunky, turned to a yellow-ish gold, started flaking off and just looked terrible.  I wish I'd taken a photo of my eyes to show you, but I honestly couldn't wait to take it off.  Mally touts her products as "bulletproof", meaning they won't budge....but that's only a good thing if the product actually looks flattering and this didn't.  I may try something else from her line just to see, but although I loved the idea of a crème stick, this one just didn't work for me.  At $25 (cheaper on Amazon) which I think is pretty high for a cream shadow anyway, this will definitely be returned.

And on to the next product!  Still love ya Mally!

Good to the last drop...a fun little makeup gadget review

Isn't it annoying when you've got product left in your container and you can't get it out...so it just goes to waste?  There's a fun little makeup gadget made just to solve this problem....Every Drop makeup spatula:

I got mine from Amazon for around $7 (free shipping with Amazon Prime), they also have it at the Container Store for about $5.  You get a little mini spatula that looks like this:

Using the same principle as a kitchen spatula, the rubberized end allows you to scrape the bottle or jar to indeed use "every last drop" of your product.  This can REALLY come in handy, particularly when you're talking about $100 eye cream, or $50 foundation, but over time, the savings can really add up when you get a couple more uses out of your product before tossing.  Considering I spend thousands and thousands on makeup each year, and go through product VERY quickly, the $5 is more than worth it! 

I used it this morning on a jar of IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Redness (yes, you all know this is my current fave product!) This product is super pigmented and you don't need a lot of it to be effective, so using this spatula allows 2-3 more uses!

Something else to think about....you should be using a tool to remove your product from jars and tubes so you're not introducing germs into the jar.  This is super important for makeup artists, but also important if you're the only one using your products.  Makeup artists use metal tools and spatulas for this purpose, and I have those too, but this little scraper is a nice addition...the metal tools I have are great for removing and mixing product from a full jar, but they can't grip the side of the jar like this one does.  It's a handy little thing! 

Germs, oil and bacteria all break down your cosmetics, so you want to keep your beauty goodies as pristine as possible so they apply well, perform well, and don't cause irritation.  (I LOVE products that come in tubes for this very reason, but not everything can come in a tube).  So...overall "Every Drop" Spatula....it's a handy little tool that saves you money and keeps your cosmetics clean...all for less than $10...not bad.
Overall grade for value and creativity: A

And...now for a version of a spatula that's even MORE fun, the kind we all used to lick cake batter off of when we were kids!!!  Yummy.....

I'm a sucker for a great drugstore find....and a catchy name!

I've got TONS of new photos to share, but my computer is being difficult and won't upload, so I'll throw in a quick product review...check back for more before/afters!



Ever heard of Hard Candy?  They used to be part of Urban Decay....the packaging is similar, catchy product names, bold color cosmetics.  The big difference?  Hard Candy is sold at Wal-Mart, that's right WAL-MART.  That means it's CHEAP, people.  Aha, so I've got your attention?  I can't say it enough...I am more than willing to pay big bucks for the right product that delivers the results I want for my clients, but a great product is a great product,  I'm not too snobby to work in some drugstore finds.



I tested a few Hard Candy items recently....including the cleverly titled "Eye'm Tired"....serum to de-puff and brighten your underye area.  Price?  $5.00....so why not?

 It comes in a tube with three little metal roller balls.....you massage the product in and let it dry.  I tried it after cleansing and after eye cream on a morning when my allergies were kicking up.  It felt GREAT....very cool, very refreshing...would be fab in the fridge! (Note for the upcoming Texas summer.....)

I really saw a reduction in puffiness....it was noticeable!  This is now my go to after late nights and allergy mornings...it makes my eyes feel more awake.  I just wait about 10 minutes and then start my makeup routine....easy.

 

What makes it work is a combo of the rollers and the light serum that contains vitamin B5, caffeine, cassava and algae extract. This isn't taking the place of anything in my skin care routine, just an addition for puffy eye days.  Again, for the price, it was worth the risk....great product with a catchy, clever name that makes me like it even more. Bring on the weepy chick flicks, I'm ready!