Loose Mineral Eye Shadows

click on the photo above the enlarge

Ah, sparkly little pots of color! Too bad you are so messy to use! I've pared my once-substantial loose eye shadow collection (bye, bye, chunky MAC pigments) down to just a few shades that I actually wear. Or just stare at. Either one.

I purchased little plastic jars that screw onto one another in an attempt to streamline and have the loose shadows take up less space. The pigments can now be stored vertically instead of horizontally which leaves much more room. I highly recommend storing minerals this way. Here are some of my loose shadow favorites:
Bare Escentuals Grace- this shadow looks lilacy in the pot but has a warm champagne when foiled (used wet). It's a polychromatic, unique shade. This is an example of the shade dry (left) and foiled (right). It becomes much more metallic and dramatic when wet.

Ricky's Naked- Ricky's is an offbeat drugstore chain in New York City. Their house line of cosmetics, Mattese, carries a gorgeous, finely milled line of pigments. This is a super shimmery champagne.
Bare Escentuals Socialite- click and the picture to enlarge and really see the shimmering details. This is a stunning money-green with an ultrasparkly finish. It's very unique--I've seen a lot of pigments but never one quite this color. Used dry if can be buffed out to a smokey finish; use it wet and it's the perfect mermaid color. I love it wet as liner with a very simple eye and light peachy ink cheek.

Bare Escentuals Peaceful- this is a very warm auburn brown. It would be perfect on blue eyes.
Bare Escentuals Soul- I've previously spoken of my love for this underrated shadow. It's just the most perfect eye-brightening vanilla.

Bare Escentuals Cupcake- a delicate fairy ink with heavy gold sparkle. This shadow also looks great as a blush.
Bare Escentuals Gilded Taupe- a neutral taupe with gold shimmer. This shade is more sheer than most BE shades so it's perfect for a very natural look. I have to foil it to achieve any oomph.

Bella Il Fiore Socialite- I discovered this brand in a Ritz Carlton spa boutique on vacation. The picture really doesn't do this shade justice because it's so multidimensional. Socialite is a soft purple with gold shimmer, but use it wet and there is a hard steely platinum edge to it. It can go from soft and pretty to dramatic rocker chic with just a little water! I've spotted the brand at a few shops here in the city but never this shade, so I'm keeping close tabs on it!
left to right: BE Peaceful, Bella Il Fiore Socialite, BE Gilded Taupe, BE Grace, BE Socialite, Ricky's Naked, BE Soul, BE Cupcake

NARS Kalahari Duo

When I first saw the new NARS Duo Eye Shadow in Brousse ($32) released for winter I immediately thought "that's like a more intense Kalahari!" I then realized that I hadn't worn Kalahari in ages and it was time to give it some attention!
NARS describes Kalahari as "Gold Confection and Sugared Cocoa," but I find this to be off. Both shades have a definite smokey taupey plummy undertone to them, more so when applied than in the pan. The left side is a smokey golden taupe and the right is a muted (but definitely plummy) heather taupe. While they look distinct is the pan, on the shades are much more similar to one another. There isn't much contrast when using these together (left on lid, right in crease) and so I occasionally need to use another shade in the crease as I prefer a more defined eye. This seems to be a frequent issue with me and NARS Duos though.

The great thing about these shades is that they really highlight green eyes! They make the green deeper and darker, allowing my eyes to stand out even from behind my glasses. I do feel that the colors are unique (even among the taupey plum set) and the inherent smokiness in the shades makes for a sultry but completely daytime/work appropriate eye.

If you find Brousse too dark or are just looking for something to add to your Sephora basket during Friends & Family, check out Kalahari!

Nice New Laura Mercier Palette

This palette just made it's debut on Sephora.com. Perfect timing for Friends and Family! This Eye Book contains 2 eye shadow quads (one in a brown/gold scheme, the old charcoal/silver) paired with 2 of Laura Mercier's famous cake liners in Mahogany Brown and Black Ebony, along side a dual ended brush for shadow and liner. A $116 value, this palette is just $45 before the Friends and Family Discount, making it a great buy and a perfect way to try Laura Mercier or add to your existing collection.

Eyes and Lips of the Day!

I used two of my fvorite brands today--Rock & Republic and Hourglass. R&R makes some of the best eyeshadows I've tried and Hourglass makes my favorite lip glosses.

Eyes are Rock & Republic Exile last to crease and on the lower lash line, with Hourglass Calligraphy Liquid Eye Liner in Indigo ($32) to line on the top. The liner is a deep blue with a hint of green in it.

Lips are Hourglass Gloss in Ignite, a gorgeous pinky beige. Click to read more about my love affair with Hourglass glosses.

RIP Rock & Republic Cosmetics. A Rock & Republic Eye of the Day

I've made my love for Rock & Republic Cosmetics well known in my previous entries and unfortunately it turns out that the line is closing down. The good news is that several Neiman Marcus stores have the brand marked down between 40-50% (the sale has not hit the website yet). The bad news is that these superbly pigmented eye shadows and smooth glowy blushes are not long for this world. I strongly disagreed with the company's marketing strategy from the get-go: virtually ignore the rest of the line while promoting a mediocre $225 bronzer in a crystal-studded case. Whenever I spoke to someone about the line, their first comment was inevitably "oh, that line is so expensive." In truth, the line was priced along the lines of brands like Guerlain and YSL, and was cheaper than Chanel. And when you consider that the shadows and blushes contain 2-3 times the amount of product found in comparable lines, R&R is, gram-for-gram, a pretty good deal for outstanding quality. That message never came across and unfortunately the line did not succeed.

In honor of my beloved R&R, here is my eye of the day:
* Rock & Republic Veil Eye Shadow lash to brown (a soft pale ecru)
* Rock & Republic Snakeskin in the crease and smoked out (a murkey shimmery olivine)
* Bobbi Brown Forest Shimmer Ink Eye Liner
* Prescriptives (another brand that will soon but shuttering it's doors) False Eyelashes Mascara
* MAC Browning (from the Porcelain/Browning duo) powder for brows

Here is a link to my prior posts about Rock & Republic in the hope that they can help you with color selection should you choose to take advantage of the sale or try the line!

Face of the Day-10.5.09

• Bobbi Brown Shadow Basics Palette
• Laura Mercier Creme Cheek Pot
• Prescriptives False Eyelashes Mascara
• Guerlain KissKiss Baby Lipstick
  

My Favorite Mistake

Whenever a beauty magazine publishes a 'don't' list, one of the items is invariably "don't match your eye shadow to your eye color." The makeup powers-that-be have decreed that contrasting colors (plum if you have green eyes, amber if blue, etc) are the most flattering, but I happen to love green eye shadows and eye liners on my green eyes! To me, green is less harsh than black, more interesting than brown and really does showcase my eyes! I'm not always looking for contrast. Sometimes a soft smoulder or subtle definition is what I'm after, and I turn to my greens. Do you wear shadows and liners that match your eye color? What other makeup 'rules' do you break?

Here are some of my favorite green liners (click to enlarge):

1. Laura Geller Baked Cakes Eye Liner in Dark Green Apple (part of the Key Lime/Dark Green Apple Duo)
2. Laura Geller Baked Cakes Eye Liner in Key Lime (part of the Key Lime/Dark Green Apple Duo)
3. Bobbi Brown Forest Shimmer Ink
4. Redpoint Optic Effects Pencil (swirls of pearl, light and dark greens)
5. Lancome Artliner in Star Shower
6. Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Stash
7. Jouer Pencil Eye Liner in Vert

As far as green shadows go, my favorite shadow is the ever-elusive Lancome Erika F. Lancome does not distribute this shade in the states, but it is available to Americans via Strawberrynet.com, which is where I purchased both my Erika F single and the Lancome Colour Focus Palette in Escapade Champetre, which contains the shade as well.
In addition to the glorious grayed green taupey sprakle of Erika F (bottom left corner), there is a very pale greenish white, a gorgeous shimmered emerald and a murky bronze green. The shades all work beautifully together or on their own. The Erika F single seems to go in and out of stock often and is well-worth looking out for. It is truly unique.

Peachy Pinks and Pearly Champagne Courtesy of Bobbi Brown

If you go through my vast makeup collection, you'll notice a theme pretty quickly! As hard as a try to have a well-rounded collection and purchase a good variety of products, the vast majority of my blushes, lipsticks and glosses are some shade of peachy pinks! Two of my current favorites are from Bobbi Brown: Maui Illuminating Bronzing Powder and Baby Creamy Lip Color.

The Illuminating Bronzing Powder ($33) is a pearly powder in a coral pink color that I apply with Bobbi's Face Blender Brush ($40). While I wouldn't use this shade as a bronzer, it does give a gorgeous happy, 'sunburned' look, like you just got back from, well...Maui! I don't find the shimmer to be over the top on my fair skin.
Bobbi Brown's Creamy Lip Color ($22) is designed to be a smooth, conditioning lipstick with a soft, creamy shine. The formula is not my favorite--I find it to be slightly too think and it seems to evaporate rather quickly--but I love the shade so much I'll use up and repurchase this shade which is quite a feat for me! Bobbi describes Baby as "an icy nude pink." When I see the word "icy" I automatically think "cool" and this shade is definitively warm toned. It is the perfect sheer, natural, warm peachy pink shade that I've found myself reaching for over and over. The shade is so easy to wear and looks polished but not over the top. I have very full lips and darker shades can prove overwhelming, but this one is right on. I've heard that Bobbi Brown's regular Lip Color ($22) in Gilded Pink is similar in color so that one is on my wishlist!

Just as I collect peachy pink lip and cheek products, I have an array of champagne shimmery shadows as well, and Bobbi Brown's Champagne Quartz Metallic Eye Shadow ($20) is one I wear very often. The texture of these shadows is so creamy and pigmented. The color you see in the pot is what you see on the lids, and while I normally use brushes to apply my shadows, I find that if I use my finger with this one it maintains that metallic look on the lid. Champagne Quartz is a golden ever so slightly pink champagne that is neither too warm nor too cool. It works as a daytime shade for work and an evening out glam look. A pretty and versatile product!

Rock and Republic Cosmetics-Eye Shadows Part 2

One of my favorite lines, Rock & Republic, was recently featured on online "sample sale" site Hautelook.com, and products were available for roughly 45% off. Of course I couldn't resist but tried to be restrained. I picked up 3 more shadows and a duplicate of one of my favorite brushes from the line, the 202. The shadows came out to $16 a piece and given that they are very large and contain more than double the product of most brands, they are a fabulous value at that price. See my previous review of Rock & Republic Shadows where I extol all of their virtues and my post on the line's blushes and glosses to learn about them! Now on to the new shades!
I picked up Veil, Affair and Difused. Veil is a very pretty creamy base shade. It is less white and more ecru than Bare Escentuals Soul and brighter than MAC Blanc Type so it has more of an uplifting effect on the eye than the MAC. I am a base shade guru and really like this one! Next up is Affair which is a gorgeous champagne shimmer, along the lines of Stila Kitten but less frosty and a touch less pink and more peach. It glistens on the eye and would make a gorgeous brow bone highlight. Lastly is Diffused, a cool shimmery taupey brown. This shade is very pretty and perfect for the crease! I love the contrast of the cool shade against my warm complexion and green eyes to really make my eyes pop. Click on the image above the make the picture larger so you can view all of the details of the shades!

Lastly I purchased another 202 eye shadow brush. The 202 is wider than a traditional crease brush and slightly smaller than a large eye shadow brush for all over color (like the Stila #5, another favorite). This is the perfect size to apply shadow to the lid and crease area for a pretty wash. The bristles are densely packed so it lays down pigment beautifully and brings out the duochrome nature of certain shadows, like Rock & Republic Brink. This brush makes the heavy gold really show up.

And here is my current collection of Rock & Republic shadows!
These are truly some spectacular shades of fabulous quality and I hope the line introduces new products and sticks around. I also hope they appear on Hautelook again! If you need a Hautelook invite, feel free to click here.

Some Hot Fall Products (courtesy of the new Bloomingdales Catalog)

I received my Bloomingdales Lights*Camera*Fashion catalog in the mail today and it features some interesting new fall makeup.


Trish McEvoy Instant Pick-Me-Up Lips ($28)- according to the description this is supposed to give "sheer, complexion complementing lips." It's touted as long lasting and the color looks to be a sheer vivid pink.
Prescriptives Limited Edition Well-Suited Eye Color Compact ($40)- a limited edition palette with 5 colors in 3 shade families: Cool, Neutral or Warm
Shiseido Luminizing Satin Eye Color in VI399 Amesthyst ($25)- this limited edition shade created by Dick Page is exclusive to Bloomingdales. It is a vibrant wisteria color.

The catalog also features Bobbi Brown Metallic Long-Wear Cream Shadows ($22 each). The shades look like Goldstone, Mercury and Starry Purple to me but it's tricky to tell. These are absolutely stunning in in the pots. They glisten and glimmer and are almost mesmerizing! I was prepared to purchase several but I'm glad I decided to try them first and I ended up leaving empty handed. I found the base colors of these shadows to be very, very sheer, with a pronounced chunky glitter. The glitter wasn't so much the deal-breaker--it was the barely-there pigment. Even layering didn't do the trick since that just seemed to add more glitter without kicking up the base shade. Layering Cream Shadows over another pigmented powder or cream shadow did the trick and made the underlying color shade of the Cream Shadows show up more, but I'm admittedly lazy with my makeup and want the product to appear on my lids the way it does in the pot. That being said, I can see these being perfect to keep in your makeup bag during holiday season to quickly take your work look to a party! Head to Bloomingdales to see these for yourself!

Images are photographs of images in the Bloomingdales catalog. Click to enlarge.

A Surprising Rave!

Earlier this week I picked up my pre-ordered Clinique Gift with Purchase at Bloomingdales and one of the extra samples included for pre-ordering was Clinique Quick Eyes Cream Shadow in Rock Violet ($15 for full size). These shadows come in lipgloss-style tubes with wand applicators and are designed to last up to 10 hours. I normally just toss these samples aside to give to my mother or friends, but I decided to try the shadow this morning and am very pleasantly surprised!

Rock Violet is a gorgeous pearly lavender on the cool side. I find that warm purples can make my eyes look tired and so I always choose one with a cool undertone despite having a warm-toned complexion. I had only two hours of sleep last night and boy did I look it this morning, but this shadow managed to brighten my face and make me look wide awake! I applied it with my fingers, layering on two thin coats to achieve my desired depth of color, added some liner and off I went. When I got home, I discovered that while some of my liner had faded, the Quick Eyes Cream Shadow still looks perfect--no fading, creasing or smearing! What a great surprise from a free sample! Have you received any samples that turned out to be favorites?

Click images to enlarge.

Jouer Cosmetics

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This is the second incarnation of Jouer Cosmetics. The first version was available at Sephora and featured a variety of cream-based products in small, white, rectangular, windowed compacts that could connect to one another along their sides. That version disappeared, and the current Jouer line emerged, available so far exclusively at Henri Bendel and at jouercosmetics.com.

Jouer has a variety of cosmetic items from concealers to foundations, blushes, tube glosses, shadows and more, many of which click together not only along the sides, but front to back so that you can create your own personalized travel stack.

I currently have two powder eye shadows ($20 each). Caramel is a soft warm brownish gold with a tiny hint of copper. It creates a lovely natural but defined eye look, but I find it prone to getting that hard "layer" on the surface of the shadow that I often have to scrape away. It is also not particularly pigmented and needs to be applied with a stiff, dense brush for color payoff.

Amaretto, on the other hand, is smooth an pigmented and glides on and blends wonderfully. It is a very complex pewter taupe with gold shimmer and a hint of bronze and plum. It's perfect for a soft smokey look or in the crease, with Caramel or another base shadow, for a subtle defined smolder. This is a unique shade and a favorite.

The Tint in Petal is another product that I like. The Tints ($20) are designed to be creamy multi-use lip and cheek colors. Jouer describes Petal as a "soft rose pink" but there is definitely a warm, almost hint of coral undertone to my eye. These blend onto cheeks with fingertips and have no sticky afterfeel.

I use the Age Repairing Brightener ($32) and Age Repairing Concealer ($24) under my eyes, the Brightener followed by the concealer. The Brightener has a thinner consistency with more slip and comes in a swivel up tube. It is designed to illuminate and fight free radicals. I don't notice an illuminating effect, but the emollient ingredients keeps the concealer, which is heavily pigmented but has a very dry texture, from caking under my eyes. These aren't holy grail products, but do a fine job. I'm not a huge fan of either alone, but they work synergistically.

I bought the Eye Definer ($20) in Olive after reading that it was used on Frieda Pinto for an awards show where her eye makeup was particularly gorgeous. It's a pretty gold-shimmered olive and glides on, but isn't pigmented enough to create a real definition or me. The color is lovely though, especially when layered over a black liner.

Feature Focus: Unsung Heros

I wanted to highlight some unsung heroes--tried and true never-fail products that seem to fly under the radar. Products that you never see in magazines, rarely hear raved about. I'm sure that everyone has some of these unsung heroes in their arsenal--please post about them in the comments!
Darphin Blush Sensation in Soleil Sublime:

This is bar none the most beautiful, natural looking bronzer I've ever used. I'm quite fair and on the pinker side, and this has absolutely no orange in it. It features a gentle color gradation so you can customize your look depending on how much 'sun' you want that day! The shimmer is super-subtle and doesn't accentuate lines and wrinkles, just lends itself to a gentle glow. It costs $40 and is available at Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman.

MAC Lilicent Blushcreme:

This cream blush has a unique love it or hate it texture. It's almost akin to a potted lipstick in that it's somewhat thick and remains dewy on the cheeks. This helps you look 'fresh' all day but if you're used to a cream to powder formula, this may take a bit of getting used to. The color is a real face brightener, and never fails to brighten my complexion with its warm, peachy rose hue. It is $18.50 and available on maccosmetics.com and at MAC counters nationwide.

Lancome Artliners:

Colors left to right are: Socialite, Brown, IceBlack, IceCarob and Star Shower
In my opinion, these little wonders stand alone in the liquid liner category. They are the easiest liquid liner and you can easily create a thin line right at the base of the lashes or thicker cat eye due to the unique flexible applicator that allows you to control the product. Unlike felt tip dispensers where the product may flow through inconsistently or only with pressure, these unique wands dip into the product and just enough comes out to create a perfect line every single time. The shades are gorgeous, although many of the unique ones are available on a limited edition basis. These are $28.50 and available wherever Lancome is sold.

Eye Necessities:

-Bare Escentuals Eye Shadow in Soul- the perfect vanilla base, this shadow is shimmer free (you can see the faintest glimmer in the pot which prevents lids from looking crepey but doesn't add a sparkle).
-Laura Mercier Eye Basics in Linen- the palest pink that brightens lids, creates the perfect base so your shadow lasts and the pigment appears true, and even works on its own for a natural eye look.
-Laura Mercier Baked Cakes Eye Liner in Key Lime/Dark Green Apple with Brush- gorgeous, baked, shimmery greens and a perfect brush for application. Use these wet or dry for a look less harsh than black but still achieve ample definition. I use the dark shadow on my upper lid and the light shadow to line underneath.
-Benefit Kohl Pencil Eye Liner in Sable- the only product I use on my inner rim. It lasts and lasts without iritation and glides on smoothly. The shade of brown is spot on--not too light or too dark.

Tools:

-MAC 208 brush- a very thin synthetic angle brush for precise gel eye liner application.
-Chanel Brush 3- a great brush for applying shadow to the outer corner. The bristles are densely packed and the thicker handle is weighted for easy application.
-Fresh Eye Definer Brush 20- the BEST crease brush, this is soft and perfectly shaped for the perfect placement and depth of color.
-Sephora Brand Professionnel Flat Blush Brush #42- perfect for small faces and the tapered point places the blush exactly where you want it to go.
-Tarte Eyelash Curler- this has never pinched my lids the way other highly-touted brands have and the lilac is so cute!

Rock and Republic Cosmetics-Eye Shadows Part 1

While I Love my Rock & Republic blushes, the shadows are where the line really shines. They have some fabulous basics you'll find in other lines like creams and browns, but they also have some truly unique, exceptional shades I hadn't seen before and couldn't resist snapping up! They retail for $28 each. Click on the pictures to enlarge (you can actually click and then click again to really see color and detail best!).

My very favorite is Snakeskin, a murky, taupey, grayed olive green with gorgeous gold shimmer. The color is beautiful full strength on the lid but can be buffed out in the crease to create the perfect natural definition that's so difficult to achieve.

Tempting is a truly unusual lavender. Spike a neutral lavender with a hint of cloudy silver gray and add a shimmery shine. But that still doesn't do it justice! It's gorgeous!

Brink is an aqua with gold flash. Apply it wet or buff it out and the gold becomes more pronounced. This isn't a teeny-bopper or 80s aqua--it's summery and fresh and more flattering than you'd expect.

Exile is a golden warm brown with a lot of warm shimmer. It's summer in a pot and makes a stunning molten statement when used wet to line.

Brink and Exile:

100% Pure Cosmetics Wine Pigmented First Crush Eye Palette

Wow! That title is a mouthful, isnt it? 100% Pure is a line of cosmetics, skin care and body products that are 100% natural. The color products derive their pigmentation from organic fuits, vegetables, flowers and teas so they're perfect for those sensitive to artifical dyes, concerned about chemicals on their skin, or want a vegan, animal-friendly product.

I love the idea of using a natural product, but haven't been all that impressed with health food store lines and am not big on the mess that loose mineral cosmetics can make when put in the hands of a klutz like me. These shadows are pressed, smooth and buttery, highly pigmented and blend effortlessly! This particular eye palette incorporates pigments from wines, grapes, plums, and berries along with moisturizing ingredients to keep your lids looking youthful. The colors range from a shimmery beige to a plummy taupe to a deep liner-worthy sparkling merlot. The palette is quite large, but features a good size mirror and a considerable amount of product.

Click on the image above for a larger picture to see the palette in all its glory!

A Brief Interlude In The Prolonged Dry Spell

Well the makeup drought seems to be ongoing. I went to NJ today for the Nordstrom Anniversary sale and didn't even peek into Sephora or Neimans, and I only quickly scanned the Beauty Exclusives. I did pick up a Chanel Paradoxal and a replacement Bobbi Brown Creamy Lip Color in Baby, which really has turned out to be my Holy Grail. I've used up but a few lip products in my life and this is one of them. I'll post more on Paradoxal later this week, but so far it's not rocking my world. It's much more gray and flat that one would think from the bottle.

My Laura Mercier Gilt order arrived on Friday! Included was a Satinee Creme Shadow in Ecru Silk and a gift set containing this palette along with three mini glosses and a brush:
The shades are: Vanilla Nuts/Coffee Ground, Gold Dust/Sherazade and Primrose/Kir Royale.

The palette is the newer refillable version so I can swap shades in and out for travel and when I get bored! I'm not a huge pink/purple person so I just may have to head to a counter soon to find a suitable alternative for the Primrose/Kir Royale spot.

I found the Ecru Silk Satinee Creme Shadow to be cakey and streaky, and effect I never experienced with Laura Mericer Metallic Creme Shadows. It promptly found a home with my mother.

The glosses are sheer but beautiful and deserve a post all their own.

A Quick Update On The Mixer

I previously reviewed The Mixer from Geri G Cosmetics, lamenting that the high quality product was overshadowed by the unnecessarily strong fragrance it contains. It's funny--though my initial reaction was lukewarm, I find myself wanting to purchase loose eye shadows so that I can use this more and more! It's sweltering here in the city and a pigment mixed with The Mixer and applied with a taklon brush takes all of 30 seconds to put on lasts all day on my eyes with no creasing and no maintenance. Alima Paris and The Mixer endured an 18 hour day that included 6 subway rides, a full workday and a Yankee game with nary a crease last week. Of course, I threw out all of my Bare Escentuals and other loose pigments during my last purge, and now it looks as through I'm going to end up reinvesting! MAC Naked is on my list and I'd love to hear your other favorite loose shadows!

Face of the Day!

I unearthed an old(er) MAC Quad today and wanted to use it!

Eyes:
MAC Blanc Type lash to brow (over Laura Mercier Eye Basics in Linen)
MAC Naked lunch in and above the crease
MAC Copperplate in the outer corner
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Bourbon
Korres Mascara
(The other MAC shadow in the Quad is Sensualize)

Cheeks:
Rock & Republic Rumor
Bobbi Brown Illuminating Bronzer in Maui
Julie Hewett Goldie Shimmy to highlight the tops of my cheekbones

Lips:
Laura Mercier Tiger Lily Stickgloss

The Mixer

I purchased The Mixer at The Makeup Show and it was one of the purchases that excited me that most. I wanted to give myself a good amount of time to play with it before reviewing, and I'm finally ready to weigh in!

The Mixer is from Geri G Cosmetics and is touted as a "revolutionary makeup enhancer."
The Mixer ($29) can be used as a primer, brow and lash enhancer, to extend the wear of products and my preferred use, turning loose and powder products into creams. I purchased The Mixer because I love cream blushes and shadows and it would enable me to turn my favorite powder shades into long-wearing, water-resistant creams. It is also paraben-free and contains aloe, vitamins, natural botanicals, titanium dioxide for some sun protection, Nanomarine-5 and is said to be irritation free.

The product dispenses from the pump is a white cream with a bit of a waxy feel.

I pump a bit out onto my hand, add a bit of powder, mix with my fingers and apply. The Mixer has a bit of mica in it for added luminosity. It takes super-metallic and shimmery mineral shadows, like Alima Paris (below) and gives them more of a velvety finish. I then just apply with my fingers or a brush and the color sets for all-day wear.

With Mixer on the left, swatched alone on the right:
In natural light, no flash:
I've also used The Mixer to turn powder blushes into creams. I use the same technique as above. If you have problems with your blush lasting, this will make a big improvement. The Mixer also intensifies the color quite a bit, solving the problem if you have blushes that do not show up or are just a few shades too light.

Here is Bare Escentuals Golden Gate blush, alone on the left and with The Mixer on the right. With flash:

And here in natural light without flash:

So the good: The Mixer definitely adds versatility to my makeup collection and I love the ease of turning loose shadows and blushes into creams for easy application and water-resistant, long-lasting makeup. There's no learning curve and it allows you to completely control the depth of color and pigment level you achieve. Change product finishes and textures with ease.

And the bad: I have two big issues with The Mixer. First, it's highly fragranced. I didn't realize this at the show and would not have purchased it if I had. It's what is keeping me from recommending the product wholeheartedly. Fragrance is the last ingredient but I find the scent to be very strong and it takes a long time to dissipate. I'm very reluctant to use The Mixer to create eyeliners (one possible use I was most looking forward to trying) because I do not want to risk irritation by getting something this perfumed into my eyes. I cannot see what the purpose of having any fragrance in a product like this is, let alone one this strong. Though the brand claims that The Mixer has been allergy tested, is MD and Plastic Surgeon endorsed and is irritation free, those sensitive to fragrance should steer clear.

I also have issues with The Mixer balling up if I try to blend too much. Once the product has set, it's set, and any further blending can cause it to ball up or flake off.

The Mixer is also available in a kit with the M Brush, a little mixing spatula and an instructional DVD for $39.