Beauty Product Reviews

Good for travel, color payoff so-so

I won this palette in a sweepstakes, which was quite the treat since I didn't NEED it... but I did want it.

First, it's BIG (3.5" tall, 5-6" across), and the packaging is gorgeous. The bottom tray, which holds the eyeliners, is hard to pull out. It's also hard to get the eyeliners out of the tray itself. I'm concerned that it will break.

The eyeshadows: great variety in color, with some that are suitable for warm or cool skin tones. The matte shadows are chalky, and there isn't a lot of color payoff unless you use a base. The sparkly shadows have a nice, smooth texture, but again, a base is necessary unless you want the barest wash of color.

The lipgloss: smooth, glossy, and sheer. Since the set is so big, though, it wouldn't be practical to carry them around for a touch-up.

The bronzer and highlighting powder: the bronzer goes on sheer, which is great for ghost-white girls like me. It's a flattering shade of golden-brown and has a lot of sparkle. The highlighting powder doesn't show up much on me - again, I'm really pale - but it definitely lends some shimmer.

The eyeliners (all 5!) are beautiful: shimmery and long-lasting. I usually don't have a lot of luck with pencil eyeliners staying on, but these are the exception.

Bottom line: it's a gorgeous set with great packaging. You will need to use an eyeshadow base to get the color to show up properly. If you don't have a huge makeup collection, you want to condense your collection for traveling, or you're starting a foray into high-end makeup, this is a great deal.

Blotchy as heck

Bought this for the purpose of making sure my legs and mid-section were as tan as my (previously sunburnt, but now tan) upper body. Big mistake: although I think the "airbrush" factor probably reduces streakiness, you also can't really tell where it goes. So the next morning, I woke up with ridiculously blotchy skin, far beyond what you'd hope for if you wanted to go out in a skirt or bikini that day.

There were also very strange extra-tan patches on my legs - I don't know how that happened, but I do know that I waited an extra long time for the formula to dry (at least 30 min) before wearing full clothing/sitting down, so according to the directions, nothing should have smudged.

For my money I'd rather have one of the gradual-tanning lotions.