A review long overdue - The Conservatorie's eyeshadow primer

Now this one has only one fault: needs heat to disperse well... Basically, to get a proper amount I have to stick my finger into the jar, move it there for a moment and my finger has grabbed the exact amount needed for one eyelid (problematic - I have exceptionally cold hands sometimes). Texture is waxy and color is orangey but wax grabs the pigments well and color does not matter anyway - that's what the eye-shadows are for.

I have also been using it as an under eye concealer and pimple concealer - true, it's too orange BUT it grabs mineral foundation as well as it grabs eyeshadows - so I'll just rub some on the pimples and then slide the foundation brush all over the face - fast and easy.

It does have a smell but it's very subtle and does not stink like e.l.f. primers or the Manhattan one. For 3,95 USD I'd say this product is available at a very good price. I have used it since September and have barely made a dent - please keep in mind I also use it when swatching pigments ;) much more comfortable then foiling them. Weird, I seem not to have a swatchpic of the primer itself - I'll have to remedy that soonish :)

This waxy product is packaged in a standard 10 gr per volume jar (8,5 gr of product as per label) and contains Caprylic/Capric Triglycerides, Apricot Kernel Oil, Safflower Oil H.O, Silica, Castor Oil, Tribehenin, Carnauba Wax, Phenoxyethanol, Kaolin, Calcium Carbonate. May contain: Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides. It's the cleanest primer I have owned so far. Phenoxyethanol - the preservative may have some evidence that it might be toxic but it's the only one in this mix.

Üldiselt - kiidan, teeb tööd hästi.  Ja kui keegi seda veel soovib, siis andke aga teada, ma panen teinekord tellimusse sisse. Odavam kui samalaadsed poodides. Ja kõige olulisem - ei haise :).

warm hands - blended like a dream

PS! Looking forward to try The Conservatorie's glitter glue that also came out recently :) I have some The Conservatorie glitters but am so far unable to use them properly - eyeshadow primer is not sticky enough for those shiny flaky buggers. Price looks really friendly - only $1,55 for a tube.

Review on Smashbox's fairest foundi

Smashbox's High Definition Healthy FX Foundation Spf 15 in F0 and Photo Finish Color Correcting Foundation Primer in "Adjust" (thank you for the samples, Anja :)) are in the spotlight today.

Unfortunately the foundation is a bit orange on me... on the swatches I have compared it with MAC Face & Body foundations in C1 and C2 (also light to medium coverage, rather liquid consistency). Smashbox's High Definition Healthy FX Foundation offers light to medium coverage and a lovely glowing result. Forgot to take a "before" picture, sry.

green primer, Smashbox's foundi and a layer of
EDM's Olive Fair in semi-matte to counteract the orange
(note tone difference with the neck)

Foundation primer is very similar to the Monistat anti-chafing gel in structure but just like anti-chafing gel, it does not protect my makeup from sebum for I am a true oil refinery. The greenness seems to work a bit but the foundation put all the red back again. I truly think I need a grayish yellow foundation...

I'll try the green primer with other foundations as well - and I still have to test the samples of the ordinary Photo Finish Foundation Primer (often compared to Monistat anti-chafing gel but since even that will not keep sebum under control, am a bit worried there might be no difference for me).

MAC C1 seems to be the lightest and most neutral of the three

stuff used: Pearl Sunlight is under the eyes

Olen olnud väga hõivatud ja ka veidi laisk, postitustes on ilmatuma pikad vahed ja materjali aina koguneb, koguneb, koguneb... Vabandan.

Sain posu pisikesi testreid ja nüüd aegamööda olen neid proovinud. Smashboxi heledaima meigipõhja võivad lumivalgekesed kenasti maha kanda - oranž. Suvel saaks kanda aga talvel ei õnnestu... 


Primerid e aluskreemid on silikoonipõhised ning peaksid poore vähendama, jumet ühtlustama ning jumestuspõhju paremini peal hoidma, see rohekas primer peaks ka nahapunetust vähendama ja minu meelest oli mõningane efekt täitsa olemas - enne kui oranži foundi jälle peale panin. 

Siin võrdluses toodud MACi C1 ja C2 on MACi Face and Body Foundation'ite heledaimad külmad meigipõhjad. Ma tõesti, tõesti tahaks kohata mõnda külma tooniga jumestuskreemi, mis poleks ORANŽ.

Eyeshadow primers

Here's a comparison between 3 different eye makeup bases: e.l.f.'s Eye Primer and Liner Sealer from the Studio series ($3), e.l.f.'s Mineral Eyeshadow Primer ($3) and Manhattan Cosmetics Eyeshadow Base (ca 70 kr, $6).

e.l.f.'s Eye Primer and Liner Sealer  has a very thick texture and when applied, looks yellow. I find it a little bit difficult to apply. No love because of the strong yellow color. Liner Sealer has a strong chemical smell but works very well on skin. In fact, it's quite hard to bet the product off the lids afterwards. This one gets bonus point for it's casing - looks great.

Ingredients: Paraffinium Liquidum (Mineral Oil), Mica, Talc, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Ozokerite, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Methylisothiazolinone, Caprylyl glycol. May Contain: Iron Oxides(CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499)

Liner Sealer Ingredients: Aqua(Water), Acrylates/Octylacrylamide Copolymer, Propylene Glycol, Benzyl Alcohol, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone

e.l.f.'s Mineral Eyeshadow Primer is very liquid and STINKS. Mirror, mirror on the wall, which one's the stinkiest of them all - well this one wins. It stinks so bad (terrible chemical smell) that when I use it I hold my breath when I lift the product close to my face. It also cannot be applied using the doefoot applicator cause then you end up applying too much. And if you apply too much, it creases as soon as you apply it. Trick is to put it on the back of the hand first and from there use your finger to get it to the lid. No love, will not buy again.

Ingredients: Isododecane, Cylopentasiloxane, Octyl Palmitate, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Dimethicone, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate, Triacontanyl PVP, Propylene Carbonate, Titanium Dioxide, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Mica (CI 77019), Bismuth Oxychloride (CI 77163).

Last and imho the best is the Manhattan Cosmetics Eyeshadow Base - skin-colored (with some light sheen), holds pigments in place, does not stink and ingredients list is rather short. Does not contain triclosan like ArtDeco's eyeshadow base. Problem with this one is application... and it's tendency to dry up quickly. The consistency is rather thick (mostly mineral oil derivates) and difficult to apply with brush so I use my fingers. Must take care not to scoop up too much because the excess will start rolling on the lid.

Ingredients: C11-12 Isoparaffin, Talc, Mica, Cera Microcristallina, Polyethylene, VP/Hexadecene Copolymer, Tocopheryl Acetate, Bisabolol, Propylparaben, CI 77891, CI 77492, CI 77491, CI 77499

E.L.F. mineral haul arrived today!

Fell on Sunday when skiing - some twerp cut me off and I ran into a ramp. Next time, heed my words, I shall ram my skis up your arse, u bugger! Bystanders informed me later that the flight itself was rather impressive though the landing somewhat rough. I walk like a wood-legged pirate now, according to doc takes some months to heal.Twisted knee...

It's Christmas again! Although I paid for the gift myself it's still pleasant to receive them. Just why does E.L.F. need to put it in a box 3 sizes too big??

The eyeshadow primer needs some testing before can say anything. It's definitely more liquid then my old one from Manhattan and consistency is thin. I took care to photograph everything in a way that it's possible to see the ingredients list too.

The brown eyeshadow set is superb - warmly recommend, I did not try the pencil. Confident is a really adorable color and very wearable too. Wild reminds me of TKB Trading's Swiss Chocolate, with a wee bit of more gold sparkle. It's the mattest of them all. Elegant is a very good color for highlighting the inner corners - I would not put it on the browbone unless I worked in the circus. Brushes are not bad at all - soft and not shedding... yet.

The E.L.F. mineral eye shadows I got for myself are somewhat disappointing: Socialite is asphalt gray when applied dry. Applied wet it gets more brownish and more suitable for my complexion. I have no idea what went through my head when I ordered Royal - purples are not my colors at all. SInce it's more reddich then pluish purple, I ca probably use ti. Now Confident is a safe bet though.

The sifter holes are huge, instead of removing the sifter cover just poke couple of holes in them - it's more then enough. Jars are 10gr per volume ones with raised bottoms. Jars are not filled to the brim, there's lots of room inside. And lets be honest it's no reason to bitch about since it takes forever to use up one eyeshadow anyhow :D.

E.L.F. mineral eyeshadow swatches: upper photo taken in sunlight, lower in bright daylight.

First glance: I thought Ripe Rose had great promise alas it is very creamy and a lot more pigmented/covering then the previous lipsticks - it's too dark.... Cool Coral is a total miss :S - I thought it'd be orange but it's not - it's bright red. For a blond pale girl like myself best pick has to be Rosy Raisin.

The free gift - Candy Shop lipgloss in Melon Mayhem.

All pics are klickable and can be enlarged.

PS! I may have to revalue Royal (tad reddish sheen on the right) and Socialite (brownish sheen, on the left)... both seem to be exceptionally good for Smoky eye. At least in artificial light (just primer and eyeshadow, no mascaras or liners).

Üldiselt võib E.L.F.'i hauliga rahul olla kui huulepulgad välja arvata: Cool Coral pole piisavalt oranž ning Ripe Rose on liiga tumepunane minu jume jaoks. Pruunist silmameigikompletist saab väga ilusa kingi, Confident on haruldaselt hea värv. Elegant on talutav highlighterina ja Wild on vastupidiselt oma nimele tegelikult suht igav kakapruun. Kompletis olev hajutuspintsel erineb veidi kodulehel olevast, millel tundub nagu olevat teravam tipp.
1-dollarilised hajutuspintslid tunduvad esialgsel pealevaatamisel ok olema ning üksiklauvärvid polegi nii hullud. Loodetavasti sõbrantsile meeldib ta roheline Earthy ning mina saan hakata suitsusilma harjutama oma Royal'i ja Socialite'ga. Viimane on kuivalt ja päevavalguses nagu märg asfalt, eemaldab mu näost viimasegi värvikübeme ja tõmbab mu üleni plassiks. Niiskel pealekandmisel muutub alustoon külmaks tumepruuniks - see juba sobib..
Lauvärvi aluskreem on väga vedela koostisega ja mulle tundub küll vägagi õline - tuleb ettevaatlikult peale kanda, sest minul läks esimesel korral juba see kreem ise lauvakku kokku. Aplikaator annab korraga liiga palju välja. Järsku on seda üldse vaja enne raputada, et paremini seguneks? Eks ta odav asi ole, kui kehv siis kehv ja kui joppab siis joppab.
Nüüd jääb üle veel vaid Studio-seeria haul ka ära oodata :).

Eyeshadow primer - to buy or not to buy? or rather: which one to buy...

Eyeshadow primer is something that tweaks the piggies into decent wearable eyeshadows - most of the piggies are supposed to be mixed with additives to add adherence and with that, staying power (the more glitter, the more urgent will be the need for primer...). Primer is a "get out of jail" free card for those who would like to skip the mixing-part. A primer makes anything stay put on your lids - be it straight mica or a bad eyeshadow.

So now I have to choose - primer or a lot of mixing?

Nah, isn't really even a choice, gotta hit the stores during the weekend and look at the available merchandise.

The cheapest option would be Manhattan's eye shadow primer (on sale atm) but I do not have the ingredients list. The TKB forum also mentioned water based lubricant as an alternative for those with sensitive eyes. :P Makes sense though - who would put anything toxic near an area as sensitive as THAT? The question remains - does it actually work...

Archetype Yellow Beige 1 as foundation
Manhattan Cosmetics eye shadow primer
Archetype Dirty Blonde under the brow
Conservatorie's Dark Bronze in the crease
Conservatorie's Chameleon Glitter all over lid

And a second try: covered the lids with primer and then applied the micas.

Xian Vistas All over lid
Salmon Interference as highlighter
foundation: Archetype's Yellow Beige 1
EDM's Pick Me Up Bisque as blush

Later addition:

Praised be the almighty Internet - contacted the wholesaler and they graciously provided me with an ingredients list:

INGREDIENTS:

C11-12 Isoparaffin – mingi mineraalõli derivaat
Talc - talk
Mica - vilk (silikaat e räni e kvarts)
Cera Microcristallina – järjekordne mineraalõli derivaat
Polyethylene – mürgine, sellest tehakse kilekotte (the only component which was unfavorably described)
VP/Hexadecene Copolymer - sünteetiline polümeer
Tocopheryl Acetate - sünteetiliselt valmistatud rasvlahustuv E vitamiin, võib olla allergeen
Bisabolol - valmistatakse kummelist või toodetakse sünteetiliselt, nahka rahustav aine
Propylparaben - säilitusaine, looduses võib käituda kunstliku östrogeenina, tundub, et ladestub vähesel määral inimese kudedes, mõju inimesele alles uurimisel, parabeene hakati laiemalt kasutama alles alates 1920ndatest kui naftakeemiatööstus kiiresti arenedes einevaid sünteetilisi molekule ehitama hakkas.

CI 77891 TiO2
CI 77492 Fe2O3 (Ferric Oxide, Hematite, red iron oxide, synthetic maghemite, colcothar, or simply - rust)
CI 77491 Fe3O4 (Triiron tetraoxide - seems to be virtually the same stuff as the next compound - probably some slight alteration in the molecular structure which determines the pigment's color or some other physical characteristics)
CI 77499 Fe3O4 (Ferrosoferric oxide aka magnetite)

IMHO: Manhattan Cosmetics Base Line Eyeshadow Base is relatively safe, contains just 1 preservative (although there are 4 other petrochemical substances in it too, mostly different variations of mineral oil) and the amount of ingredients is remarkably low.
Will go shopping.

Later addition:

All EOTDs will from now on be made using this:


The consistency is that of a thick creme and the color is light (pinkish-beige?) skin color with tiny sparkles. Price: approx 5.60 USD

Enamus mu värve on pigmentidena st et neisse pole sisse segatud aineid, mis aitaksid värvil lau külge kinnituda. Lahenduseks on kas segada vajalikud pulbrid ise sinna sisse või hankida silmameigi aluskreem. Kergem on poest silmameigi aluskreem hankida :D.
Häda vaid selles, et nood on väga imelike koostistega - mitut eri liiki säilitusainet jne... Manhattan tundus neist kõigist hinna ja ka koostisosade poolest parim olema. Töötab hästi - hommikul peale kantud pigmendid pole ka tööpäeva lõpuks veel lauvakku kokku jooksnud.