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!

Time to get a new Tattoo! (Product Review)

I mentioned these cream eyeshadows yesterday, just wanted to tell you a bit more. I'm deep into a spring product testing phase...prestige against drugstore, new offerings from my favorite companies...new products that are creating buzz in the beauty world.  The verdict is still out on a couple of items, but this product stood out as a definite winner, so I wanted to share!  First of all, I've never been a fan of cream eyeshadow, mainly due to the texture.  Most are either too watery or sticky, too hard to apply/blend and they crease as the day wears on. Meh...all of that is way too much hassle in my book, so I typically stick to high end micro-milled shadows that are really pigmented to get the results I'm looking for.

Lately, I've been hearing a little buzz about Maybelline Color Tattoo 24 Hour Eyeshadow and I was intrigued enough to give it a try. The packaging is simple, and pretty much the same to similar high end cream shadows, plus it's easy to find at any drugstore or beauty store that carries Maybelline.  It comes in several colors, including a few that are really bright and intense:

Whoa!  Orange cream eyeshadow?  For runway or photoshoots, sure!  For PTA meetings or work?  Um...no so much. For initial testing, I started by purchasing Bad to the Bronze...

A shimmery, bronze-taupe that is a great color for everyday.  This is similar to Satin Taupe by MAC, which is one of my favorite everyday shades for any eye color.  I also went back and purchased Bold Gold....

A traditional, warm yellow shimmery gold.  Packaging does vary slightly I think the photos above are the newer version.  In short?  This stuff ROCKS!  Seriously!  I was shocked at how much I like it.  I applied with a flat brush (any flat, synthetic shadow or concealer brush would work), it's easy to apply, and easy to blend.  It goes on creamy, but then dries down to a finish that simply WON'T BUDGE.  I'm not kidding.  I tested this on a day when I applied my makeup at 6:30am and took it off at midnight....it was perfectly intact, it didn't fade or crease at all.  I did a photo shoot yesterday that called for a "shimmering golden eye with berry lips", so I KNEW I wanted to use this!  I blended the two shades together to form the perfect soft antique gold, and then added a bit of dark brown shadow in the crease for depth...check it out....

 

 

 

It's lovely, and actually has more shimmer than this picture shows.  I'll  post more pics from this shoot once I get them back, but I think they're going to be awesome!  Bottom line on Maybelline Color Tattoo?  It applies like a dream, looks great, lasts all day and beyond, plus it's AFFORDABLE.  Gotta love that!  Only down side is the color selection....most people can't get away with wearing shimmery turquoise or orange cream eyeshadow on a daily basis. It worries me that women might try!  Stick to the more subtle shades...there's even a white that makes a great shadow base.  There are several prestige brand cream shadows out there at $25 a pop or more, this one beats them all hands down.  Overall score?  A+!  Let me know what you think...enjoy your new "tattoo". I know I am!