Givenchy Ombre Couture Cream Eyeshadow

Hello, everyone! Long time no see! I know, I know, it's all my fault. I've been busy, I've been neglectful. But here I am, alive and well...no, allow me to rephrase. And, well, here I am, alive. Haha! Anyhow, bad jokes aside, I've swatched the new Givenchy shadows to make it up to you.

These guys are a new cream shadow offering from the brand we grew to know and love following their release of that "weird ball thingy" mascara that really put them on the makeup map. There are nine waterproof, long-wearing (Givenchy claims 16 hours, but can't personally attest to this) highly pigmented shades in the current lineup, and one'll set you back $23, a pleasant surprise when you consider Givenchy's competitors (Dior's Fusion Monos cost $30 each, while Chanel's Illusions d'Ombres come in at $36). On Sephora's website, the shadows are also suggested for use as all over bases--for me, MAC's Paint Pots came to mind, as these come in similar packaging. So, without further ado, let's get swatchin'!

The Shades
1 Top Coat Blanc Satin a "top coat" shade intended for use as a highlighter or in conjunction with another shade
2 Beige Mousseline a beige I would classify as a pastel camel color, if that exists
3 Rose Dentelle a dusty rose shade, the most wearable in my opinion of the nine on offer
4 Bleu Sole a rich, indigo-leaning navy, tied for my favorite with Brun Cachemire
5 Taupe Velours a minky taupe, more grey than brown, which was kind of a disappointment
6 Kaki Brocart an army green, I knew this would be a hit and its the only shade currently sold out at Sephora!
7 Gris Organza a deep charcoal, I can see smokey eye lovers reaching for this one a lot
8 Prune Taffetas a lovely violet, still muted enough that it wouldn't overpower a look
9 Brun Cachemire a gorgeous chocolate, perfect for those who can't get enough browns
And another shot of the swatches, this time with flash:

Personally, none of these shades jumped out at me enough to merit purchasing them, but if you feel the need to build your color (or cream shadow) wardrobe, I can see any one of these making a lovely addition. As I mentioned earlier, I didn't get to properly test the wear of the shadows, but they were creamy and applied smoothly to the back of my hand. As you can see, they are certainly pigmented; my only gripe is that they're not entirely consistent throughout the range or even a swipe of the shadow (though I'm sure that could be remedied with a more careful application.) The price point, in my opinion, leaves enough wiggle room for appeal to those who are wary of spending $36 on a shadow single (though I do love the Chanel option.) If you fancy seeing for yourself, you can purchase Givenchy's Ombre Couture Cream Eyeshadows at Sephora, Sephora.com and anywhere Givenchy cosmetics are sold.

If you've sampled these already, please let me know what you think of them, down below!
Katy xx

THE REVIEW // MAC Viva Glam Rihanna

Who doesn't love a good red for a good cause? (Red lip, that is, not wine ;))

Recently--21st January, to be exact--MAC unveiled the much-anticipated Viva Glam Rihanna collection, comprised of a lipstick and a lip gloss, each described as a "blue-red with a frost finish". For those who missed out on the coveted Riri Woo, another stunning red that came and went sooner than you can say "Stay", this duo certainly does not disappoint!

This time, MAC chose to place Rihanna's name on the packaging, rather than the product. They also surprised MAC devotees with a departure from the iconic black bullet, opting instead for a frosted metallic red worthy of Rihanna's seal of approval. The packaging alone makes these collector's items!

I've always loved lipstick. I usually hate lip gloss, but in an effort to expand my cosmetic horizons in 2014, I purchased both. They were too pretty not to! Here are some swatches, with flash, indoor and natural lighting, respectively:

To the left, we have a swatch of the lipstick. In one pass, it's not perfectly opaque, but as you can see from the middle swatch, a few coats builds this baby up to maximum power. To the right, we've got the lipgloss. Stickier than I'd prefer, but I was sort of expecting it. The formula looks stunningly reflective on the lips, but beauty can be sticky, I suppose! I think that the flash captures the gloss most accurately in terms of color, but the natural and indoor lighting better conveys the frost in the lipstick. Here's how the lipstick looks on:

It really is a lovely red. Now, you could stop here, and wear it alone, but--and this is coming from a gloss hater--I truly think that the lipglass takes this look to a whole new level. The difference is akin to a red delicious apple next to a candied one.

Boom! Even despite my lip gloss embargo of sorts, there was no learning curve for me on this one. It looked like patent leather on my lips, and I loved it immediately. Only after I purchased these beauties did I think to try the gloss on its own. After putting any venus fly trap-esque, hair-eating images out of my mind, I went for it. And hey, the stickiness isn't so bad. It might even be *gasp* worth it!

The MAC Viva Glam Rihanna collection is available in stores and online at MAC, Nordstrom, Macy's and Bloomingdale's.

xx Katy

THE REVIEW // Besame Cosmetics Lipstick in Besame Red

When was the last time you saw an advertisement boasting an old formula, rather than a new one?

With its vintage-inspired line of lip, cheek and eye products, Besame Cosmetics does just that. Known for its lipsticks, Besame is celebrated among vintage enthusiasts for formulating shades that perfectly emulate retro chic. Red Hot Red, for example, is described as "Marilyn's favorite" (yes, that Marilyn). According to the site, Besame focuses on creating "modern reproductions of classic luxury makeup from the 1920s, '30s, '40s and '50s, designed to make women feel elegant, inspired, and empowered by their beauty." And, despite its 21st century launch in 2004, the brand does does the job admirably. Years ago, I'd seen these lipsticks in action in the skilled handed of a very talented makeup artist. She swore by the brand. More recently, I came across them again, in a lovely rockabilly/pinup boutique called Enz's. After much back and forth, I decided on the namesake "Besame Red".

The above swatch was captured in indoor lighting. Yes, that is with one swipe. No, I'm not kidding. This is the good stuff! Here's a swatch with flash, so you can see the blue undertones in this luscious red:

Honestly--and you probably already know this--these swatches aren't perfectly true to color. Personally, I think that the better the product, the harder it will be to do it justice in a photograph. Maybe I keep telling myself such things to evade confronting my amateurish photography skills. ;) In real life, Besame Red falls in between the swatches pictured above. It is certainly a blue-based red, but it's not quite as pink as it appears to be in the flash photo. Then again, the indoor lighting barely shows any blue at all.

What I can promise is that this lipstick will be as creamy and opaque in one pass as it appears to be in the photos. I love it, and I can certainly see another Besame purchase in my future. At $22, they can't beat MAC, but considering what you get (the adorable packaging, complete with velvet pouch (not to mention a truly solid product), Besame's signature color certainly gets my stamp of approval. You can purchase your very own nostalgic gem on the site, which conveniently ships through Amazon (it's Prime Eligible, too!)

Happy shopping!

Katy xx