Product Reviews

Do you ever imagine yourself with a different name and think, “That’s just not right.” I’m a Karen, and that’s all there is to it. 🙂

Sometimes I do that with beauty products. I love it when things seem to fit their names, ya know? Like when you can’t imagine them being called anything else. It’s one of those extra little touches I appreciate, and when it comes to the new Make Up For Ever Wild & Chic Eye Shadow Palette, well, the name fits!

The snakeskin pattern on the outside — I mean that’s kinda wild — and the silver accent on the top? That’s pretty chic. And then there’s the colors inside. Six Make Up For Ever Eye Shadows in Bronze, Khaki, Pearly Light Pink, Brown Black, Metallic Copper and Beige, and a small Aqua Eyes #0L liner in black. From more conservative beige and brown (chic) on one side, to bolder green and bronze on the other (wild!).

Available exclusively at Sephora inside JCPenney stores, the $39 palette, part of the Wild & Chic holiday 2011 collection, almost resembles something for summertime, doesn’t it? Even the colors lean warm.

If it looks like something’s off in this pic, you’re right. There’s a color missing, Bronze #84. Poor thing arrived that way in the mail, so I included a PR picture down below. Chances are that wouldn’t be a problem if you decided to adopt one of these from the store, but ya never know. Might be a good idea to check your palette, just in case.

I can’t speak about the wayward bronze, but its brethren in the palette are flawless — highly pigmented, shimmery and silkier than the fur on my favorite husky tabby (but don’t tell him I said that!).

They’re shiny enough to catch one’s eye but not so frosty that they SHOUT! Very sophisticated, yet still a lot of fun.

PR picture above showing the missing bronze on the left (the one that got away), which oddly looks kind of green…
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Seriously, Make Up For Ever has been on a yuletide tear this season, killin’ it — KILLING IT! — with the Wild & Chic collection for the holidays. It’s not a huge holiday release, but from what I’ve seen so far, it’s all sorts of amazing.

At $175, the Wild & Chic Aqua Cream Premium Set (available now at sephora.com) isn’t making any friends among wallets and purses, but if you’re an aficionado of MUFE’s Aqua Creams, it actually represents a pretty good deal. It comes with 10 full-size colors from the company’s permanent line, which usually cost $22 apiece (or $220 for 10), one full-size eyeshadow brush, and a durable, reusable tin.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Aqua Creams, they’re long-wearing waterproof cream shadows that are deliciously easy to blend. Some of them can be worn on cheeks and lips, others on cheeks and eyes; all 10 of the ones in this set are of the cheeks and eyes variety.

The 10 Make Up For Ever Aqua Creams in the Wild & Chic Premium Set…

• 12 Golden Copper — a soft, shimmery copper
• 15 Taupe — a shimmery brownish taupe
• 17 Plum — a shimmery burgundy-plum
• 14 Satin Beige — a warm shimmery brown
• 01 Anthracite — a shimmery, silvery charcoal
• 11 Gold — a shimmery yellowish gold
• 13 Warm Beige — a shimmery champagne
• 16 Pink Beige — a shimmery pinkish beige
• 04 Snow — a shimmery white pearl
• 02 Steel — a shimmery, silvery gray

I’ve grown smitten with the Aqua Cream line over the past year or so and find myself using them a lot as cream eyeshadows and bases for powder shadows. They’re as dependable as oak trees (sturdy), and have a wonderful shimmer that lasts all day long.

Earlier today I took pics and swatches of the 10 shadows in the kit on two skin tones, a darker NC42 and a lighter NW25. Apologies for the lack of face/eye shots here, but I was pressed for time. I’ll try to incorporate a face of the day wearing at least one or two of these next week.

12 Golden Copper

15 Taupe
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