Monday, April 4, 2011

Bare Minerals Eye Shadow

Hey everyone, I wanted to update again today because I'm going to be busy working on my thesis this week and may not have time to post again (although I do get distracted easily, so it's possible I'll still be on here!).

Anyway, if you've checked out my favorite products page you'll have figured out that I'm all about my Bare Minerals make up!  So while I was bored at my hotel last night, I decided to get some pictures of my make up routine so I could review some of the products I use on the regular.

Today I'm going to be reviewing two of their eye shadows: Kudos, a gold, and Idol, a plum color.  Both of these came in kits and aren't available for purchase alone, at least not on THEIR website, but they are very similar to the True Gold (glimmer) and Heart (glimmer).  You can, however, find the original colors online elsewhere and possibly in stores.

Idol (left) and Kudos (right) Eye Shadows
As you can see, they're both lovely, shimmery colors.  What I like to do for my "everyday" look is use the gold as my base color (sometimes even using it to highlight under my brows) and then use the plum in the crease and the corners.  It sounds a little odd but the purple isn't dark enough to clash with the gold so I think it ends up looking quite nice.

A few sweeps of both on my hand
Here's a picture of my eye, open and closed, with just the Kudos (gold) applied. 

Gold only, pretty subtle and good for work!
A little more added, you can apply more for a darker color
Like the caption says, you can generally apply a nice coating if you want a little bit darker color.  It's decently sheer and if you like wearing metallic colors but don't want them to be too loud, this is perfect color for you.

The cool thing about Bare Minerals make up is that you add a few drops of water it for a slightly different color that lasts a bit longer.  I usually don't have a problem getting my makeup to last all day, but I like having that option!  All of my images are of the dry application, though--I was getting ready to go out last night and didn't want my eyes looking too different!

Here is a picture of JUST the idol on my other eye. 
Idol
Like I said, it's pretty transparent and not "in your face" purple.  I like that it's a more subtle brownish plum color that blends well with the gold (see below).

Idol on Kudos
I was very disappointed with my pictures of the purple and gold together.  You can't really see it, which is unfortunate.  This is my best photo out of about ten or twenty, so I apologize!  It even actually looks like the Idol is on the inside crease of my eye when really I applied it to the outer edge!  Hopefully you can see a little difference between just the Kudos and this picture, though.  Like I said, the plum blends pretty well.

During the day I don't like to have too much of a "shadow" or too dark of a color in the crease of my eye, so this combo works well for me when I'm going to work.  If you're going out at night and want to rock the smoky eye then these colors probably aren't as dramatic for you!  But like I said, I love it for the daytime!  They shine in the sun, which is also a plus.

Let me mention real quick what brushes I use for these shadows:

Brushes!
They both are Bare Minerals brushes but you can use the colors easily with any brush.  The one I use for the gold is actually their Max Coverage Concealer brush and not an eye brush!  I like it because it's really wide and flat which makes for a quick application!  It's pretty thin at the end so I can get the shadow in the spots I want pretty easily!  I like larger brushes for eyeshadow, but that's just my preference.

For the crease and corners of my eye I use their Wet/Dry Eyeshadow brush.  It's small and chunky which helps if you don't want the color all the way across your eye.

Overall, I love these colors!  And the brushes.  Generally their eye shadows run about $13-$18 each in stores and the brushes are $6-$30.  I think that's semi ridiculous, especially because I'm a poor college student, so I highly recommend getting one of their kits!  I've collected about 10 brushes from buying kids which probably saved me something like $200.  Don't buy their brushes alone unless you're desperate!

Their nice concealer brushes and usually an eye brush comes in their starter kit so start with something like that if you've never tried the make up before.  I guess I should also mention that if you can get your kits either online (although then you can't see the stuff in person) or at an outlet mall!

I saved SO much money buying kits from outlet malls, if you get them at the end of the season you still get great stuff for a low price.  I got a $40 kit for something like $13 a few months ago at an outlet store in Maryland!  Love it.

So if you think you can't afford Bare Minerals, I promise you, there are good deals out there.  If you just go in and buy a foundation or eye shadow alone, you're going to spend so much more money.

If you don't already know, Bare Escentuals make up is available at their store, Sephora, online.  Sometimes you can find it at JC Penny if they have a Sephora make up counter!

Anyway, hope you enjoyed! Have a great next couple of days :)