NARS Shimmer Eyeshadow in Lhasa

I've been on a taupe eyeshadow kick lately (well, more than usual).  And in general, I've been gravitating toward cooler toners.  Despite being a very pinky person, I often wear really warm tones.  I know that's sacrilege to some people, but we're all just going to have to deal.  

However, this fall and winter, I've really been going for cool purple, plummy tones.

I came across some swatches of NARS Lhasa eyeshadow and it seemed perfect for my current beauty proclivities.  NARS describes the shade as "lavender gray", but the swatches I'd seen online put it firmly in the cool toned taupe category.  The shade was released as part of NARS Spring 2012 collection, but has since been made permanent.

(daybulb)

(indirect natural light)

Some of the reviews I saw mentioned it being a tad bit sheer, but all the swatches were absolutely gorgeous.  I know, there's always a bit of YMMV with cosmetics, but seriously.  Look at those swatches above.  This shadow is sheer.  Very sheer.  Very uncomplicated.  And very disappointing to me.  

Maybe it's a difference in quality control between the initial run of the product and subsequent runs.  All I know is that the NARS Lhasa I have is not the rich taupe I've seen swatched in the interwebs.  It's not complicated.  It's not complex.  It's very straightforward and one dimensional.  My NARS Lhasa is a sheer purple gray.  *sob*

The only upside to this story is that Sephora had a promo where you could get '$20 off a $50 purchase'.  In reality, it was just a $20 gift card code with no minimum purchase.  So after all was said and done, I paid $4 for this eyeshadow and got free shipping and samples from Sephora.  That doesn't make up for the disappointing quality of this eyeshadow, but it does take most of the sting out of a disappointing purchase.

NARS Lhasa eyeshadow is part of the NARS cosmetics permanent range.  It contains 2.2 grams of product and retails for $24.

Overall:  4/10

MAC Silver Dawn Extra Dimension Eyeshadow

MAC's Magnetic Nude collection launched late last month and it contains eyeshadows, blushes and MSFs in MAC's Extra Dimension formula.  As soon as I saw swatches, I was very intrigued by the Extra Dimension eyeshadow in Silver Dawn.

I have quite a few of the Extra Dimension MSFs and blushes, but Silver Dawn is my first Extra Dimension eyeshadow.  I was drawn to it because it looked like a vaguely taupe-y pewter color.  I'm always in love with taupe shadows, but I'm definitely working on a pewter obsession as well.  Mmmmm, pewter.

To my relief, Silver Dawn is indeed a taupe-y pewter color.  It's a very warm silver with hints of brown.  It's a complex color that changes depending on how the light hits it.

(daybulbs)

(indirect natural light)

Silver Dawn is very pigmented and easy to use.  It's not an overly soft product and it is not powdery at all, but it does have excellent true-to-pan color payoff without fallout. As I mentioned earlier, it is a complex color that shifts depending on the light, so it works well as an all over color (I LOVE shadows like that.)

As I was playing with Silver Dawn I went through my other eyeshadows to see if I could find anything similar.  I pulled Benefit's Skinny Jeans, which is most similar in color, though it's a cream product.  MAC Patina and Rouge Bunny Rouge Abyssinian Catbird look very different in the pan, but swatched are similar (though not dupes).

MAC's Extra Dimension eyeshadow in Silver Dawn is (not surprisingly, *sigh*) limited edition with the MAC Magnetic Nude collection.  As of the writing of this post, it is still readily available from most retailers that carry MAC as well as directly from MAC online.  It contains 1.3 grams of product and retails for $19.50.

Overall:  10/10

Sonia Kashuk Eyeshadow Quad in Bed of Roses

So here is another Sonia Kashuk product that I didn't photograph brand new because I didn't expect to be reviewing it.  Sigh.  Anyway, apologies for the less than stellar looking product below.  It is all my fault for using before photographing.

The Sonia Kashuk Eyeshadow Quad in Bed of Roses seems like it would be pink leaning based on the name, but it's really not.  The pan that looks pink above actually isn't.  It's just sparkles with no real pigmentation.

• pink looking shimmer - just shimmer with no real pigmentation, pink or otherwise, very cool, doesn't adhere particularly well and tends to transfer and fall out like crazy.
• matte cool light brown - underwhelming color payoff, very stiff. Has glitter in the pan but it really doesn't translate to the skin at all.
• metallic cool gray brown - buttery soft, crazy pigmentation, excellent payoff
• metallic taupe/purple cool - buttery soft, crazy pigmentation, excellent payoff.

This is a drugstore product, but definitely on the pricier end of the spectrum. Is it worth it when only half the shades are any good? Normally, I would say no, but the two metallic shades in this palette are absolutely phenomenal and they're very taupe leaning and I am such a sucker for a good taupe eyeshadow. For me, it's worth it. If you're not such a taupe fiend, it may be a miss.

Sonia Kashuk Eyeshadow Quad #45 Bed of Roses contains XX grams of product and retails for $13.69 exclusively at Target.

Overall: 7/10

Chanel Ombre Essentielle Soft Touch Eyeshadow in 101 Gri-Gri

Chanel Ombre Essentielle Soft Touch Eyeshadow in 101 Gestlogist Gri-Gri is limited edition with the Chanel Fall 2013 collection, Superstition.  It is described by Chanel as a metallic taupe.

In the pan it looks like a very silvery gray.  Swatched it takes on a much more purple/brown tone.  I think it definitely is a taupe.  It has a silver shimmer running through it and if you apply it wet, it definitely looks more metallic.

The texture was incredibly soft and had great pigmentation.  

I found that on the eye, much like the Tom Ford Cream Eyeshadow in Platinum, it tended to look almost wet after a while.  When it started looking like that, I knew it was only a matter of time before it started creasing, but ... it never did crease on me, even after 10 hours of wear.

Chanel Ombre Essentielle Soft Touch Eyeshadow in 101 Gestlogist Gri-Gri contains 1.6 grams of product and is Limited Edition.  It retails for $28.50 wherever Chanel is sold.  I bought mine at Nordstrom.  As of the writing of this review, it is still available at most online retailers.

Overall:  7/10