Review and swatches: L'oreal Infallible 6 New Summer Colors

Forgive my slight hiatus recently!! >_<

Work has been absolutely out of control over the past few weeks, and with a convention coming up, I've been scrambling out of my mind to get ready for it.

Then of course my birthday is exactly 1 week away, so I'm totally mindblown.

Fret not though. I've gotten quite a few products to do reviews on and such. So this blog should be getting a few updates.

This product is something that I rave about rather often, and since new shades have some out, I HAD to share it with you all.

L'oreal Infallible eye shadows have 6 brand new shades that came out recently, and they are absolutely GORGEOUS.

If I'm not mistaken, these shades are permanent. If not, I'll be sure to give you guys a heads up.

So let's get into the shades~

______________

*Liquid Diamond

Liquid Diamond is a silvery lilac grey shade. I'm in love with this one since it brings life to my near-black eyes. It's very unique, in the sense that I haven't seen many colors like it (if any).

It initially swatches a little sheer, but it's also buildable, which is perfect since some looks can be made less or more intense whenever you like. Applied wet, it's alot more metaillic. So it's definitely a fun shade to play with.

Liquid Diamond packaging

Liquid Diamond [Natural light]

Liquid Diamond [with flash]

Liquid Diamond swatch [natural light]

Liquid Diamond swatch [with flash]

______________________________

*Glistening Garnet

 Glistening Garnet is a shimmery berry-pink. I'm not too sure about how I feel about this one yet, simply since... well, pink is a hard color in general to work with. However, that being said, it's still pretty. Paired with a soft brown and some gold, it might make some pretty looks for the summer ^_^

Glistening Garnet packaging

Glistening Garnet [natural lighting]

Glistening Garnet [with flash]

Glistening Garnet [natural light]

Glistening Garnet [with flash]

_____________________________

*Endless Sea

Endless Sea is an aqua turquoise. This color is probably my favorite of this bunch. It's so bright and shimmery. In a sense, it reminds me of the Carribean waters. :D

In comparison to L'oreal Infallible Infinite Sky, Endless Sea is darker. Inifinite Sky is much paler and almost silvery while this Endless Sea is more Blue-Green.  

Endless Sea packaging

Endless Sea [natural light]

Endless Sea [with flash]

Endless Sea swatch [natural light]

Endless Sea [with flash]

____________________________

*Golden Emerald

 Golden Emerald is a kelly green with tons of golden shimmer/glitter. It's an absolutely GORGEOUS color. In comparison to Golden Sage, Golden Emerald is darker, and the gold glitter is much more apparent. I'm actually kind of excited to use this color when autumn rolls around. ^ ^

Golden Emerald packaging

Golden Emerald [natural lighting]

Golden Emerald [with flash]

Golden Emerald swatch [natural light]

Golden Emerald swatch [with flash]

______________________________
*Bottomless Java
Bottomless Java is a deep 'coffee' brown with bronze shimmer. I actually think this color would be gorgeous for a twist on the smokey eye. With a bit of champange or gold eye shadow~ HNGGG~! <3

Bottomless Java packaging

Bottomless Java [natural light]

Bottomless Java [with flash]

Bottomless Java swatch [natural light]

Bottomless Java swatch [with flash]

_________________________________
*Smoldering Plum
Smoldering Plum is a blackened plum with intense shimmer. This is another color that I think would be perfect for a smokey eye. The color seems a bit flat in the container, and even in these swatches. However, in the sun, it has impressive shimmer~ :3
Its just kinda one of those things you need to see for yourself in person :D

Smoldering Plum packaging

Smoldering Plum [natural light]

Smoldering Plum [with flash]

Smoldering Plum [natural light]

Smoldering Plum [with flash]

_______________________________

My verdict: As always, I LOVE L'oreal Infallible eye shadows. These are no exception. They are equially as lovely as the original 12. I'm hoping these are permanent shades. If not, as I said, I'll let you guys know. ^_^

I'm hoping to get a few more of my reviews up this week. It's just going to be so hecktic, since I work everyday until the con, which I'll be attending for all 3 days, only to go back to work after x__x

God help me LOL

I know I keep promising my tutorials as well. I SWEAR they're coming. OTL

It'll just take a bit longer than I meant for it to.

'til next time~

Stay beautiful, both inside and out~ <3

x~PhantomRose~x

L'oreal H.I.P review and swatches Part 1; vacation

Whew~

Back from a much needed vacation with some friends on Marco Island, and it was absolutely AMAZING~!!

Crystal blue ocean, white  powdery sand, gorgeous hotel, pool deck on the beach, etc. We felt like we were in heaven!!

While we were there, we celebrated one of my friends' birthday, and I had the honor of doing everyone's makeup, most of which consisted of the L'oreal H.I.P eye shadow duos. That's what inspired me to do a post on my collection of them.

Granted, I don't have every single color... yet...

But I do have about half of them, give or take. Hence why I've also labeled this post as a part 1. I intend on getting the rest little by little to do swatches and reviews on.

As I'm sure I have mentioned before, L'oreal is one of my most favorite drugstore brands, if not the best. The H.I.P eye shadow duos are no exception. These are fantastic.

Some of the finishes are better than others, but I'll get more in depth with that later.

First, let's go through the colors I have so far.

Top row: Devious, Adventurous, Mischief, Shocked, Platinum, Gilded, Electrified

Middle row: Sassy, Roaring, Forgiving, Energized, Gunmetal, Charming, Romantic

Bottom row: Charisma, Flashy, Poppy, Charged, Perky, Sculpted, Cheeky

I'll go through each of the colors by row. I've swatched the duos together, each duo separated by a stroke of eyeliner to make it easy to follow. The descriptions will follow as

*(Name): [formula] Left/Right

TOP ROW

*Devious: [Concentrated] Army green with gold shimmer/golden brown

*Adventurous: [Bright] Satin beige/Satin bright pink

*Mischief: [Concentrated] Frosty champange nude/matte blackish-navy with a teal undertone

*Shocked: [Metallic] Butter-yellow gold/sage green

*Platinum: [Metallic] True metal silver/black with silver glitter

*Gilded: [Metallic] Rich true gold/Very deep green-undertoned brown with gold glitter 

*Electrified: [Metallic] Silvery taupe/Deep plum

Swatch: Devious, Adventurous, Mischief, Shocked, Platinum, Gilded, Electrified

(Natural Light)

(with flash)

As you can see, these are all very pigmented. Especially the metallics. The metallics in particular are extremely buttery and smooth. The silver in the Platinum duo is perhaps one of my most favorite silvers of all time, probably on par with my Too Faced one, 'In a Flash' (in the Smokey Eye palette). I also use the Electrified duo rather often, and I have to say it's one of my favorites out of the entire H.I.P line. That aside, all of the others from this row are gorgeous, and can work for many different looks whether you mix or match :D

MIDDLE ROW

*Sassy: [Concentrated] Frosty milk-chocolate brown/blackened teal

*Roaring: [Bright] matte brown/matte cobalt blue

*Forgiving: [Concentrated] Dark brown shimmer/turquoise shimmer

*Energized: [Metallic] Soft pale gold/bronzey brown

*Gunmetal: [Metallic] Khaki green/Deep forest green with green glitter

*Charming: [Crystal] Silvery lilac/Blue-toned purple

*Romantic: [Crystal] Silvery grey/pale pink

Swatch: Sassy, Roaring, Forgiving, Energized, Gunmetal, Charming, Romantic

(Natural light)

(with flash)

The first 3 in this row (Sassy, Roaring, and Forgiving) are slightly similar as far as the color family goes, but as you can see they are quite different. They each have different finishes and tones. Energized, while being metallic, has gorgeous neutral shades that are perfect for everyday wear.

Gunmetal can be a tad bit misleading. Don't get me wrong, the duo is beautiful. However, when I see the name 'Gunmetal', I picture... well... gunmetal colors. LOL Such as pewter silver or something of the like. This duo instead is more of an Army Camo sort of thing.

Now, for the crystals... yeesh...

In the packaging, they look a hell of a lot prettier than they do when you put them on. It took me quite a few swipes for it to show up on my skin. Not only that, but the shadow crumbles and clumps and does all sorts of weird crap when you try to apply it. And the fallout is CRAZY. They are pretty colors once you build them up correctly, but it's a hassle trying to get it there. Charming is certainly more pigmented than Romantic. The Crystal formula is without a doubt my least favorite. However, I know I'm probably going to get the rest of them despite the fact that I'm sure they'll be equally as difficult.

BOTTOM ROW

*Charisma: [Concentrated] Dusty rose-lavender/Reddish plum

*Flashy: [Bright] Bone cream-beige/Greenish teal

*Poppy: [Matte] Deep yellow/deep chocolate

*Charged: [Metallic] Bronzey orange-gold/reddish copper

*Perky: [Matte] Neon 'acid' green/almost-black navy 

*Sculpted: [Metallic] Dark rosey pink/dark plum with pink glitter

*Cheeky: [Concentrated] dark red-magenta/deep burgandy purple

Swatch: Charisma, Flashy, Poppy, Charged, Perky, Sculpted, Cheeky

(Natural light)

(with flash)

Out of this bunch, Sculpted and Cheeky look the most similar in the packaging, but once again you can see how different they really are. Perky is perhaps another one of my favorites. It's so bright and obnoxious. I love it xD

Actually, the Perky duo was used in one of my most recent looks inspired by the Hulk from the Avengers!! So, my first tutorial theme has just been revealed :D I'll be doing looks based on the characters. I'm working on editting the videos and photos so I can have them up asap. I just couldn't help it after seeing the movie during my trip.

That aside, as you can see, all of the other duos are very pigmented. The bone-beige side of Flashy may not look like it is, but I just think it's because I'm so insanely pale x__x Trust me when I say it has good pigmentation on other skintones.

-----------------------------------

My verdict: While it's not like these H.I.P duos are new or anything, they are still proof as to why I love L'oreal so much. These are fantastic, with the unfortunate exception of the Crystal ones (at least in my opinion). I'll be sure to post more reviews on them when I get some more of the duos.

Now that that's over with, I figured I'd share a couple of photos from my vacation :D

Simply cuz I can >u>

Marco Island was beautiful. Probably more-so cuz it was on the Gulf coast vs the Atlantic. I mean, the beach and ocean difference is like night and day. It was a little bit cloudy when we first got there, but the rest of the time, it was clear blue skies.

Close to sunset

I couldn't help but take in how pretty it all was.

One of my bffl's chillin' in the sand. Oh "Feesh" <3 lol

Sasha checking the water. We couldn't get over how WARM it was :D

Sasha and Gaby

The boyz (a little inside joke xD)

The hotel we stayed in was absolutely gorgeous. We stayed on the 8th floor, which gave us a perfect view of the ocean from our balcony, where we enjoyed breakfast and stuff. We also ate at this restaurant called Di Vinci's for Gaby's birthday. It was interesting cuz although it was an italian restaurant, they also had Japanese food. LOL So we pigged out on pasta, salmon, salads, and edamame~

As I mentioned, we also went to see The Avengers while we were there, it was the first time for Sasha and I, 4th for Gaby LOL. The theater was interesting cuz... well, I was hungry when we got there, so I figured I'd get a hotdog or somthing. Then I realized they didn't have any food displayed. When I asked, they handed us a full menu; IT WAS A DINE-IN THEATER!! We were so stoked! I had what must have been the BEST chicken fingers ever to exist with curly fries. SO AMAZING~!

On the way home, we stopped in Sarasota and went to the Aquarium they had, which was super fun. We went nuts over the adorable seahorses and this badass octopus that responded to us. We also did a bit of shopping in the area before driving home.

I have to admit, I'm still in that state of mind that can't believe the trip is already over. I had never been away with friends before, and I hope to do it again soon.

Well, that's all for now.

So 'til next time,

Stay beautiful, both inside and out~ <3

x~PhantomRose~x

Review/Swatches: L'oreal Infallible 24hr SUMMER eyeshadows

Well, as I said I would, I rushed to my nearest CVS and picked up the newest additions to the L'oreal Infallible eye shadows; Their SUMMER colors.

On the display, 4 shadows were on display, but only 3 of them are new; Golden Sage was the repeat/permanent color that was included in the collection. So I only picked up the other 3: Pink Sapphire, Gold Imperial, and Gleaming Bronze.

Once again, I'm absolutely in love with these shades, and they're perfect for the summer. Especially 'Pink Sapphire'~! ^ u ^
I'll get a bit more in depth with them in this post.

All of the colors (like most of the original 12) are metallic. So without a doubt, these were meant to shine bright in the sunlight! The texture is also, of course, the same; pressed pigment with a creamy-like-butter feel.

Also, I picked up one of the summer nail polishes in Silver Sparkle.
I'll go through each of the colors individually.

_____________________________________________

*Pink Sapphire

Once again, I'm not really a fan of pink... but I do love this color.
Pink Sapphire is a shimmery-metallic golden peachy rose color. It sorta reminds me a bit of pink lemonade~! XD
Again, perfect color for summer.
I noticed that a few people have said it applies sheer, though it's buildable, but i dunno what they're talking about... xD;;  didn't have that problem. When swatching these, I did the same thing i had last time; no primer and one swipe.
But that's just my opinion.
I'm very happy with the color and pigmentation.
As with the other 12 original shades, these retail (on average) for $7.50.

"Pink Sapphire" packaging

"Pink Sapphire" (natural light)

"Pink Sapphire" (with flash)

_________________________________________

*Gold Imperial

This color is a cool toned light gold shade. At first, only from the packaging, it reminded me of one of the other Infallible eye shadows in Eternal Sunshine. However, after swatching, I realized Gold Imperial was cooler toned, while Eternal Sunshine was warmer and deeper. So in actuallity, they're pretty different.

In the swatches, they almost look identical, but I promise you that's not the case. 

This is another one perfect for summer, and I'm seriously looking forward to trying this with Pink Sapphire. ^ u ^

Maybe for my vacation to the beach > u > hehe~

"Gold Imperial" packaging

"Gold Imperial" (natural light)

"Gold Imperial" (with flash)

Comparison

Left: Gold Imperial/Right: Eternal Sunshine

(natural light)

Comparison

Left: Gold Imperial/Right: Eternal Sunshine

(with flash)

________________________________________

*Gleaming Bronze

This color is rather interesting. Instead of the typical coppery bronze I'm used to seeing, this one has an olive-y undertone. So a deep antique olive bronze. It's an unusual shade, which is probably a major reason as to why I love it so much.

I can imagine it being perfect for a summer-based smokey eye~ :D

"Gleaming Bronze" packaging

"Gleaming Bronze" (natural light)

"Gleaming Bronze" (with flash)

___________________________________________

SWATCHES - L'oreal Infallible Summer 2012 Eye Shadows

Pink Sapphire, Gold Imperial, and Gleaming Bronze (natural light)

Pink Sapphire, Gold Imperial, and Gleaming Bronze (with flash)

_____________________________________________

Finally, the last product I picked up was one of the summer nail polishes in "Silver Sparkle."

The one criticism I have is that it isn't very opaque; it takes a few coats to completely color your nail. However, I can see it working great on top of a silver base. :)

As for the pros, it's not as cheap feeling as most other glitter polishes I've tried. It dries relatively smooth, and with a clear top coat, it's beautiful. Most glitter polishes chip within a mere few hours of me wearing them, but seeing as I've been wearing this shade for about 36 hours now without any, that alone makes me happy. xD

The glitter specks in this polish has a slight holographic effect to them, so it nicely compliments the pearly silver base.

These polishes retail for about $6.39, though I got it half off at CVS due to their buy one get one half off deal. ^ w ^

"Silver Sparkle" packaging

"Silver Sparkle" swatch - 3 coats

(told you it takes a few coats LOL)

____________________________________________

That's really about it for my review on the new L'oreal products. Overall, I LOVE the new Summer colors. There's also a few new Le Glosses and lipsticks that I may want to try out eventually, but we'll see ^ u ^

How about you guys? What are your thoughts on the new shades? :D

Until next time,

Stay beautiful, both inside and out~ <3

x~PhantomRose~x