little white truths

I've had this post sitting in my drafts for ages. Ooops!

I'd wanted to review at least the Australis contour kit before I updated this, and I've done that now so it's high time for this post.

I had also wanted to update my initial post of the Mememe blush, but I haven't done that so I'll just include some better photos here and re-do that post another time.


Nars Eyeshadow Duo in St Paul de Vence

I've included one of my Nars duos in most of my 'now playing' posts because they're reasonably new and I want to review them.

I've now reviewed this one (see here) and it's definitely the worst in quality of the four I own, which is a pity because I really love the colours (at least as they look in the pan).


There's a swatch of the two shades above. It's a nice, warm and wearable duo in terms of colour, although I've noticed that the shades can make me look a bit sick (as though I've had an allergic reaction around my eye area) when it's summer and my skin is more tanned. Not what you want from a shadow!

It's not a particularly pigmented duo, nor is there a great deal of contrast between the two colours.


Above I've got the chestnut shade on my lids, travelling up through the crease, and the shimmering nectarine on the inner corners of my eyes (I've used a different shadow to highlight the lash line).

You can see it's quite a subtle pairing and it takes a bit of work to pack on (you need a primer), so you might prefer to apply this one wet.

I do like it but it's not one I would consider buying again.


Maybelline Color Tattoo Eyeshadows in Painted Purple and Edgy Emerald

I included these because I wanted to decide whether or not to keep them, and I've decided not to. I don't use colours like these and I wish I'd chosen something more neutral for everyday wear. Full reviews here.

There they are:


I can see why people love these: they stay put like no other cream shadow I've tried, and there's a good range of colours to choose from. Plus you can use them as eye primers, although I've discovered over the past few weeks of using these that they're too bright to use as primers because I can't cover them with my chosen matte shadow and they show through.

I'll send them to a better home because there's no point having them sitting in a drawer and getting hard - I might as well give them to someone who'll use them.


Mememe Cosmetics Blush Box in Pink

I have this and the coral version and I think they're the oldest blushes I own. Full review here, but note I want to edit that review because it was one of the earlier posts I did and I'd like to go into more detail (and do better photos).

I chose this blush for this post because I never use it and I wanted to dust it off and get my money's worth.

There's the colour:


It's a decent blush, I just have better ones so it's not getting used. Over the past couple of weeks, I've decided that I prefer it on my eyelids, so at least it will occasionally get used for that because I don't have many dedicated pink eyeshadows, and certainly nothing in this shade.


Australis AC ON TOUR kit

Yes, I bought this because of the online hype about it, and also because it was consistently sold out in Priceline so when I saw it sitting there I just had to have it. Unfortunately I don't like it at all (full review here), and it's headed straight for Project Pan once I've finished off another product or two on my current list.

There are the colours:


The main issue with this for me is the dark shades: they're muddy and ridiculously patchy/difficult to blend, plus they sit in pores so they give me little dark dots on my face. Oh dear! The yellow and shimmer powders are better, but they're not as wonderful as the online reviews would have you believe - at least in my experience.

I'm annoyed about this one, but at least it's a cheapie so I didn't waste too much dough on it.

In sum

This isn't a great bunch of products unfortunately, but at least this round of now playing has forced me to review both the Nars shadow and the Australis palette, since those reviews have been on the list for a while.

It's also confirmed that I needed to get rid of the bright colour tattoos, so my makeup collection is happily looking a little smaller.