Swatch & Review: Julep Orbital Eyshadow in Borealis

If you saw my swatch &review post last month for Julep's Orbital shadow in Supernova, you already know I LOVE these shadows! So, naturally, when they released a couple new colors this month I had to pick one up:-) I decided to get Borealis, which was described as charcoal with peacock shimmer.

Gorgeous!!

It was really hard for me to pick up the color shift in this shadow with my camera, but basically it is a deep charcoal base and, depending how the light hits it and how much light you have, will reflect with green, turquoise, or blue shimmers. REALLY stunning stand-alone shadow! In the swatches above the first swatch is 1 layer dry, the second is 2 layers dry, and the third is 1 layer wet.

Just like with the Supernova shadow, I do recommend using a flat shader brush to apply this. It's the best way to pick the shadow up. The shadow is super sparkly, so you will want to use a base and do your eyes before the rest of your makeup to clean up the fallout easily.

Overall, I am in love with these Orbital shadows and HIGHLY recommend picking some up if you like sparkle and unique colors!

Here is a look I did last week with this shadow:-)

Review: Julep Orbital Eyeshadow in Supernova

I got this shadow in my December Julep Maven box. These shadows are new to Julep this month, and come in 6 shades(although they are coming out with two new shades next month, so stay tuned for that!) These shadows come packaged in a sleek black case with a decent sized mirror inside.

Here's what the Julep site claims:
"Our multidimensional eyeshadow with triple the pigment for intense brightness, incredible stamina, and endless looks."
"• Uses iridescent pearls and vibrant metallic pigments to create an effortless, multidimensional eye look
• Blends the color payoff of a cream shadow and the layering power of a powder"

Here's my experience:
~ Definitely multidimensional! This shade in particular can look plum, charcoal, teal, or a combination of the three depending on what angle the light is hitting it from and how much light is hitting it.

~ The staying power is really good. The longest I've worn it so far is about 7 hours and had no fading or creasing whatsoever.

~ It is possible to get a variety of looks from this depending on how much you layer it. However, you're not going to get "the color payoff of a cream shadow" unless you use it wet(which I highly recommend doing for maximum color and shimmer payoff, and to minimize fallout).

~ You really have to use a primer under it, because it is very shimmery/sparkly it needs something to stick to to minimize fallout.

~ You need to use a flat shader brush or something with some density to it in order to pick the shadow up. If you use a brush that is too round or fluffy you will only pick up the top layer of sparkle and not much(or any really) of the base shadow.

~ You need to sort of swirl your brush in the shadow a little to pick up all of the pigment. If you just dab or pat the shadow, again, you will only pick up the top layer of shimmer.

Here are some swatches!

These swatches are over Avon eyeshadow primer in Light Beige.

The first and third swatch in each picture are dry. The first is 2 layers of the shadow, and the third is just 1 layer. The middle swatch in each pic is 2 layers of the shadow applied wet.

You can see that the color looks different depending on the light. In the first swatch there was bright light hitting the shadow directly, which picks up a lot of the teal shimmers and charcoal undertone and you kind of just catch a hint of the plum. In the second swatches there is a little less direct light, so the shadow shows a little more plum but you still pick up a lot of the teal shimmer as well. In the last swatches there is dim light and the shadow shows as a very sparkly plum.

Overall, I really love this shadow. The multidimensional tones and sparkle factor are SO pretty. I like that it can be used wet or dry, and that it has good staying power. There is definitely fallout with a shadow this shimmery, so do your eye makeup first when you use these so that you can clean it up before applying the rest of your makeup.

If you are not a fan of glitter you're not going to like these shadows. If you are a fan though(like me!), definitely give these Orbital shadows a try:-)

First Time DIY: Depotting Disaster!

So, for anyone who follows me on YouTube and saw my "Perfect Palette" tag video, you know that I have been wanting to depot all of my Avon True Color eyeshadow quads and actually make a palette out of the colors from that tag video to use for a pan that palette challenge next year. I've watched a lot of videos on depotting methods and one common theme throughout was that you need a lot of time and patience to depot more than a small handful of shadows...and I am in short supply of both time AND patience. Then I came across an old video from Wayne Goss where he just popped his shadows in the oven and when they came out he was quickly and easily able to pop the pans out of their packaging with a paring knife. So that's the method I decided to go with for my depotting adventure.

In his video, Wayne said he set his oven to 100 degrees centigrade. That's roughly 212 degrees here in the States, and since I can't set my oven to 212 degrees I decided I would go with 210 to be on the safe side. The video also stated to put the shadows in the oven for 2-5 minutes.

Round 1: 2 minutes at 210 degrees. Results: nothing. I couldn't pry up a single pan. Not one. Not even a little.

So back into the oven the shadows went for 5 more minutes.

And...well...I got the shadows out. Even with the extra 5 minutes in the oven the glue was still really strong under the pans. So strong that I broke the tip off the end of my paring knife(and never found it). So I thought, you know, maybe the oven's not hot enough.

So I put my next batch in at 215 degrees for 10 minutes.

And things went a little smoother...but not as smooth as I would've liked.

The shadows definitely came out easier this time, but I still struggled with them. I was happy that none of them had completely broke apart like with the first batch. Since it seemed like the temperature was hot enough, I did one more batch but left them in for 5 minutes longer(so 15 minutes at 215 degrees) in the hopes the glue would loosen enough that I could pry them out easily.

This time the shadows did come out much easier. Some I still had issues with, but overall they popped out without too much hassle and seemed(seemed being the key word here) to be intact and in good condition.

I wanted to do the project cheaply, so I stuck the shadows to the inside of an old CD case with double-sided permanent tape. Now I can easily see what shadows I'm grabbing for, and I didn't have to drop a pretty penny on a magnetic case.

Now, here's the kicker, those shadows with arrows next to them are the same shadows from the previous picture(where they look like they are still in pretty good condition). Since I have made this palette, the plum shade completely crumbled and I've had to repeatedly press it back together, the deep brown shadow broke and fell out on the floor when I opened the case, and one time when I closed the case that shimmery beige cracked all around the corner.

I now have to keep this palette laying flat, treat it with kid gloves, and use the lightest hand humanly possible with the shadows so that they don't fall apart anymore.

Needless to say, I won't be using the oven method to depot my shadows anymore!

New Avon True Color 8-in-1 Palettes! Swatch & Review

Avon recently launched 3 new 8-in-1 palettes in their True Color range. I picked up 2 of them, the neutral and the purpley palettes:-) All of the swatches below are over the Avon eyeshadow primer in Light beige.

This first one is the Not So Neutral palette:

Top Row: The first shadow is a matte vanilla. This one is a little powdery, but the pigmentation is pretty good. This will make a good base color all over the lid, and brow bone highlight shade. The second shade is a matte beige. Great pigmentation! This will make a good all over lid color, or crease/transition color. The third shade is a dove grey with a satin finish. There is a slight hint of warm golden-champagne sheen to this shadow that looks so much prettier on the lid than it does in the pan. The pigmentation of this is pretty good as well. The last color in the top row is a metallic light taupe. Again, pretty good pigmentation. This will make a really pretty all over the lid color as well. Bottom Row: The first color is a shimmery gold. I feel like the pigmentation of this shadow is just okay, and the application is a little patchy. It really has to be built up to get solid, even gold. The second shadow is a metallic bronze. This shadow has pretty good pigmentation and application. The third shadow is a matte plum-burgundy. This shadow has good pigmentation, and blends well. I was very happy to see this color in here instead of a dark brown. It keeps this palette from being your typical neutral palette! The last color in the palette is a matte black. When I initially swatched this without primer it was a soft black and not too intense. As soon as I put it over primer though, It was BLACK! A little goes a long way:-)

And here is the Plum Essentials palette:

Top Row: The first shadow is a vanilla with a satin finish. There are some really pretty lavender colored micro-fine shimmers throughout this shadow, but you really have to build the shadow up to get the full effect of them. The pigmentation of this shadow is just okay. The second shadow is a pale icy lavender with a shimmer finish. The pigmentation of this shadow is pretty light, but buildable. The third shadow is a soft golden-taupe with a metallic finish. Again, the pigmentation is a little lackluster. I can work with it, but it really needs a primer/base and needs to be built up. The last shadow in this row has the best pigmentation, but is the weirdest color? In the pan looks like a shimmery moss green. On the skin it is a deep muddy brown, with very fine brassy colored shimmer. Bottom Row: The first shadow is a matte pale pink. The pigmentation of this shadow is pretty good. The color is so light though that it hardly shows up on my skin. The second shade is a shimmery silver. The pigmentation is a lot like the gold from the Not so Neutral palette. A little patchy and needs to be built up. The third shadow is a matte rosey-taupe. This color was my favorite in the pan, unfortunately the pigmentation is so weak that I REALLY had to pack it on to get a ho-hum swatch. The last shadow is a pretty vibrant purple. In the right light you can see a hint of micro-fine blue-violet shimmers in this shadow, but they don't show up at all on the skin so I'm going to consider this a matte shadow. The pigmentation of this color is pretty good!

Overall, I definitely prefer the Not So Neutrals to the Plum Essentials palette. The pigmentation is pretty good across the board and there is a good mix of light, mid-tone, and dark shades, as well as mattes and shimmers. The Plum Essentials palette is really hit and miss. Some colors are good, while others require a lot of building and blending. There also isn't a great range of tones, all of the colors are either really pale or really dark. This one definitely lacks in mid-tones.

If you are wanting to try one of these palettes, I would say go with the Not So Neutral. You won't be disappointed!

FOTD: Simple Sparkling Mauves

Products Used(all from Avon):
On the face:
Ideal Flawless tinted moisturizer in Light
Ideal Flawless CC color correcting pencils in Light and Light/Medium
Ideal Flawless loose powder in Translucent
Glow bronzer in Warm Glow

On the eyes:
Extra Lasting eyeshadow pencil in Amethyst
True Color eyeshadow quad in Barely There(shade #3)
True Color eyeshadow quad in Romantic Mauves(shades 1, 3, and 4)
Eye Dimensions eyeshadow in Sweetheart Plum(the middle shade)
Ultra Luxury eyeliner in Dark Brown
Super Shock Max mascara in Black

On the cheeks:
Glow bronzer in Warm Glow
Smooth Minerals blush in Copper Glow

On the lips:
Glimmersticks lip liner in Simply Spice
Ultra Color lipstick in Apricot Spice
Ultra Glazewear lip gloss in Crystal Lilac

Swatch and Review: New Avon True Color Eyeshadow Quads

Recently, Avon launched four new True Color eyeshadow quads. All four quads are neutral and beautiful, and designed to be the perfect nude palettes for various skin tones. I will say right off the top that I am loving all of these new quads, and I really love that Avon has incorporated some color in with the neutrals as well!

The first quad is Naked Truth. This is the palest of the new quads and designed for light skin tones. Color #1 is Shimmering Beige and is a shimmering cream color with really good pigmentation. This color makes a really brow bone and inner corner color. Color #2 is Peach Sparkle, which is a pale peach with a satin finish and not much sparkle. This color is the least pigmented of the quad, but it's still pretty decent. Depending on the look you're going for it could make a good lid color or a blending/transition color for the crease. Color #3 is Glimmering Sand. This shade is a warm shimmering beige with a tiny hint of micro-fine champagne glitters in it. I like to use this color all over the lid if I'm doing a quick neutral look, and in the crease as a transition color for smokey eyes. Color #4 is Coffee, and is a gorgeous medium neutral shimmering brown.

The next quad is Barely There. This one was designed for light/medium skin tones. Color #1 is Soft Vanilla, and is a matte vanilla shadow with really good pigmentation. This one makes is a nice brow bone highlight color. Color #2 is Rose. This a matte, neutral pink shade. I love this color in the crease as a transitional color. Color #3 is Satin Taupe, which is a neutral taupe with some shimmer to it. This is a great all over lid color. Color #4 is Cool Coccoa, and is a dark neutral brown with a satin finish. The pigmentation of all four shades in this palette is really good.

The next quad is Go Natural, and is designed for medium skin tones. Color #1 is Shimmering Beige. This is the same color as the lightest shadow in the Naked Truth quad. Color #2 is Shimmering Stone. This shadow is a warm shimmering brown with golden undertones to it. I feel like this shadow is the least pigmented in this quad, but it's easily built up. Color #3 is Radiant Orange. This is a vibrant reddish-orange with a hint of shimmer to it. Very pigmented! This is one of my favorite colors from all of these new quads. Color #4 is Burnt Brown, and is a matte deep brown with plum undertones.

The last quad is Grin and Bare It. This one is designed for deeper skin tones. Color #1 is Bronzed. This shade is a golden bronze with a metallic finish. REALLY pretty all over lid color! Color #2 is Burnished Copper. This is a medium reddish brown with a satin finish. Color #3 is Patina, which is kind of an antique brass with greenish undertones and golden shimmer to it. Color #4 is Sahara Sunset, a deep cool brown with a satin finish and fine golden glitters here and there. This color is the least pigmented from this palette. I feel like this palette as a whole is a tiny bit less pigmented than the other quads, but all of the colors are easy to build up and blend.

Overall, I'm really impressed with the new additions to the True Color quad range. Though they were designed with certain skin tones in mind I think that most people would be able to use all of the colors in some way. Definitely give these new shadows from Avon a try if you are looking for some new neutrals!

Swatch and Review: Avon Eye Dimensions Eyeshadow Pt.2!

So, I loved the first two Eye Dimensions palettes that I picked up so much that over the last month I have picked up the other four! Here they are:

*side note: all swatches are dry, over bare skin

Sultry Smoke is a great neutral trio for doing a shimmering smokey eye. The top shade is a metallic silvery white with very fine silver glitters throughout. This shadow is pretty well pigmented and blends very easily. The middle shade is a shimmery taupe with tons of fine silver glitter throughout. The pigmentation of this shade is very good, and it blends really well. The bottom shadow is a matte black. It does seem like there is a tiny bit of shimmer to it, but that blends out on the skin leaving a matte finish. The pigmentation is decent, and it builds up and blends very easily.

Neutral Haze is also a gorgeous neutral palette for anyone that loves their brown shadows. The top shade is the same as the top shade from the Sultry Smoke trio, that shimmering, sparkly, silvery white. The middle shade is a beautiful metallic soft mauve. Excellent pigmentation and blendability! The bottom shade is a deep shimmering chocolate brown with fine bronze glitters throughout. Again, excellent pigmentation and blendability.

Bronze Star is such a fun palette! The top shade is a shimmery soft golden yellow with tons of fine golden glitters throughout. The pigmentation of this one is a little light but it almost suits it to not be heavily pigmented, it gives it a slightly ethereal feel:-) It builds and blends well. The middle shade is a metallic golden fern green. Excellent pigmentation and blends well. The bottom shade is metallic golden bronze. Again, excellent pigmentation and blends really well.

Diamante Purple is the only one of these palettes that I was not terribly impressed with. The top shade was impossible for me to pick up accurately with my camera. In the palette it looks like a shimmery white base shadow with a ton of fine silver and holographic glitters in it(only the silver glitter would pick up with my camera, so you will just have to imagine the swatch above having twice as much shimmer!). The texture of the shadow is drier than the rest of the shadows from this collection, and somehow it actually applies transparent? It's hard to see in the pic above but virtually none of the white from the base shadow shows up, so you just end up with a lot of sparkle and no actual color. I think this shadow will work great as one of those new sparkle overlay/topcoat type shadows that I've been seeing popping up all over the place, but if you are looking for that white base to translate to the eye it's not going to happen. The middle shade is this amazing shimmery medium violet with a slight pink shift in the pan. Unfortunately, this shadow is a little on the dry side too. It does show up true to color on the skin, but you really have to build it up to get the intensity you see in the pan. The bottom is a deeper shimmering violet with tons of fine purple sparkle throughout. Again, a little on the dry side so it has to be blended and built up a bit to get that same pan intensity. Even though this is my least favorite of the six, I did get an idea while swatching this for an easy sparkly purple smokey eye tutorial. So keep an eye out for that!:-)

All in all, I really love the colors in these Eye Dimensions palettes. The metallic shades are a dream to work with, buttery smooth and great pigmentation!

FOTD: Simple Blue Shadow Look

I really loved this blue shadow worn on the Marc Jacobs Spring '14 runway, and every time I see the new Marc by Marc Jacobs ads(with the same makeup) I get an overwhelming urge to put a bunch of blue shadow on :-)

I decided to do my own version today, a little toned down and not quite as bright as the catwalk version!

This is definitely one of the easier eye looks that I've ever done. I just used my Avon Extra Lasting eyeshadow pencil in Sapphire as a base all over the lid, topped it with the periwinkle blue shade from the True Color 8-in-1 palette in The Blues, and finished with one coat of the new Avon Aerovolume mascara.

The rest of the face was kept pretty bare with just a little Ideal Luminous blush in Coral Radiance and some Totally Kissable lipstick in Natural Glow patted on the lips.

I think that the mark. i-mark shadow in Electro would be a really good option for doing the brighter version of this look:-)

Swatch & Review: Avon Eye Dimensions Eyeshadow- Khaki Chic and Sweetheart Plum

First, let me start this off by saying that I'm in LOVE with these little palettes! They are chock full of shimmery, glittery goodness, and I really just can't get enough of them(I have two more on the way). That being said, if you are a matte shadow girl these are not going to be your cup of tea.

The pigmentation of both of these palettes is really good. The staying power is also really good. The fallout factor is pretty high, so I would recommend (1)using an eyeshadow primer, (2)patting the shadows on, as opposed to using sweeping motions, and (3) doing your eye makeup first so that you can wipe any fallout away before applying your foundation etc.

Here is the Khaki Chic palette:

Khaki Chic is a very sparkly neutral palette. The top shade is a metallic soft gold. The texture is very soft, almost creamy, and it blends really well. The middle shade is a shimmery golden taupe with with fine golden glitter throughout. This one has a slightly drier texture, but still blends really well. The bottom shade is shimmering deep khaki green with fine golden glitter throughout. It has the same texture as the middle shade, and blends really well. Again, excellent pigmentation for all three shades.

Here is the Sweetheart Plum:

Sweetheart Plum is more of a warm toned purple palette. The top shade is a super pale matte mauve base with micro-fine golden shimmers throughout. The texture is a little on the dry/powdery side, but it still blends well. Even though it's technically not matte, the shimmers are so small that they practically disappear on the skin making it a nearly matte shadow. The middle shade is really hard to explain, kind of a shimmery rose gold/soft plum duochrome with fine golden glitter throughout. It's very sparkly, and blends out well. The bottom shade is a metallic plum. Absolutely gorgeous! This is one of my favorite purple palettes that I have ever owned!

I haven't tried these shadows wet yet, but given the excellent pigmentation and high shimmer factor I feel like they would be amazing used wet!

Have you guys tried any of these Eye Dimensions shadows yet? What do you think?

Here are a couple of looks that I have done with these palettes:

Review & Swatches: Kardashian Beauty Touch Tones in Echo and Whip Lash Mascara

After the holidays I used a little of my Christmas cash to get some new stuff from Ulta. While I was perusing the website I noticed that the Kardashian Beauty collection was BOGO 50% off and I had never tried anything from their line, so I picked out this Touch Tones eyeshadow palette in Echo and the Whip Lash mascara. When my order finally came in the mail I was a little disappointed with the shadow palette because the colors didn't look the same(at all, actually) as they do on Ulta's website. They are still really pretty colors nonetheless.

Here are some more close up pics and swatches of the palette:

Now, you can see in the swatch picture above that I had to add arrows to show where the swatches for the first two shades are at. That's gripe #1 for me, there's no real need(or use) for two flesh toned matte shades in the same palette. The pigmentation for these two shades is not as good as the shimmer shades either. I can get the same effect of these shadows by dusting some translucent loose powder on my lids, so these two shades are a big fail for me. The shimmer colors are really pretty though.

The last color of the palette is extra glittery and a little more sheer, and is meant to be layered over the other shadows. Okay...but it's so close in tone to that second pink shade that it makes the second pink shadow pretty irrelevant. Like I said, these colors are really pretty but this is definitely not a palette I would use on it's own. With the two matte shades being practically the same and the second pink and last shadow being pretty much the same there is a lot of redundancy for a palette that only has eight shadows in it. I would love to see these palettes with a matte mid-tone and matte dark shadow in place of those light colors and enough variation between the rest of the shadows to make them all usable.

The mascara on the other hand I was actually pleasantly surprised with. Here is a close up of the brush:

The formula of the mascara is not too wet or too dry, just right. And as you can see in the pic above the bristles of the mascara wand are flat on one side and curved on the other. The flat side is good for getting mascara into the base of the lashes to build volume, and the curved side does a good job of separating and adding length. I like that the bristles are tapered too, makes getting to the lashes in the inner corners of the eyes a breeze.

Overall, I was really impressed with the mascara and would definitely repurchase it. The shadows I don't see myself buying again unless they come out with some new colors that have a better variety of tones and textures.

Have you guys tried any of the Kardashian Beauty products? What are your thoughts?

FOTD: Taylor Momsen Inspired Glossy Red Lip

Today's look was inspired by a pic I saw of Taylor Momsen back during New York fashion week. She had this bright red glossy lip going that I instantly loved for two reasons: 1. It's a little bit of a throwback to the makeup of the late 70's/early 80's(pretty much my favorite time period as far as makeup goes), and 2. It was a nice departure from the typical super black, super smokey eye/nude lip combo that Taylor is usually seen wearing.

Remember when she used to look like this?

Who else is going to be watching 'How The Grinch Stole Christmas' this year?

Anywho, I meant to do this post a long time ago but forgot all about it until I read about Taylor and her band, The Pretty Reckless, releasing a new album recently...so here's the look!

everything I used is from Avon/mark.
on the face:
Ideal Flawless foundation in Light Ivory
Ideal Flawless concealer in Light/Medium on blemishes
Extra Lasting concealer in Fair under the eyes and as a highlighter
Ideal Flawless translucent loose powder

One the eyes:
True Color eyeshadow quad in Mocha Latte
Kohl eye liner in Intense Brown
Super Shock Max mascara in Black

On the cheeks:
mark. Bronze Pro in Bronze to lightly contour
Ideal Luminous blush in Coral Radiance, just a little on the cheek bones

On the lips:
mark. Make It Rich lip color crayon in Hot Sauce
Ultra Glazewear lip gloss in Fiery Red

If you want to hear the new single from The Pretty Reckless, here it is:

More Avon Extra Lasting Eyeshadow Pencil Swatches!

I tried a couple of these shadow pencils when they first came out and absolutely LOVED them! So I got a couple more...and then a couple more...and then the rest of them, lol:-) So here are the swatches of the last 6 colors I bought. I really cannot say enough good things about these! They are great stand alone shadows, blend really well, and make excellent long wearing shadow bases for your powder shadows.

Aquamarine is a shimmery deep aqua color. Very dense, rich pigmentation for this color! If you follow me on Facebook you can see this color used in my sugar skull makeup for Halloween as the petals around my eyes(sidenote: I also used the Extra Lasting shadow pencil in Black Diamond all over the eye and layered colors from the True Color quad in Purple Pop on top, it turned out so good!).

Sapphire is a shimmery deep blue. I really love this one layered with the Purple Pop quad for a bluish-purple eye look.

Amethyst is less purple than I thought it would be, and more like a pretty shimmering mauve.

Smoky Plum is a nice shimmery plum with really good pigmentation.

Crystal Taupe is a light shimmery taupe. This color is a great neutral to have on hand for any skin tone.

Rich Cocoa surprised me when I opened and saw that it was actually matte! This neutral chocolate brown is the only one of the shadow pencils that doesn't have any shimmer to it.

I hope Avon expands this line and brings out more colors, and more matte shades!

FOTD: Plum Monochrome

I decided to do a soft plum look today inspired by the changing of the season, all makeup is by Avon:-)



On the face: Ideal Flawless foundation in Light Nude, Extra Lasting concealer in Fair, Ideal Flawless concealer in Light/Medium, Ideal Flawless loose powder in Translucent

On the eyes: Extra Lasting eyeshadow pencil in Shimmering Sand(used as a shadow base), True Color eyeshadow duo in Burgundy Berry, True Color eyeshadow single in Plum Burgundy, kohl eye liner in Intense Brown, Super Shock Max mascara in Black

On the cheeks: mark. Bronze Pro in Bronze, Ideal Luminous blush in Soft Plum

On the lips: Ultra Color lipstick in Rich Plum

How To Use the New True Color Eyeshadow Quads

Swatches: Avon True Color Eyeshadow Duos

Warm Cashmere is a perfect duo for everyday wear, with a little liner smudged into the upper lash line and a couple coats of mascara it looks great with any lip color! The lighter shade is called Peach and is a sheer shimmery light golden peach shade. It can be built up easily for a more opaque finish and blends easily. The darker color is Iced Coffee, this shade is a shimmery warm beige and is a bit more pigmented than the Peach shade. Blends very well.

Burgundy Berry is a nice shimmery muted plum duo. The lighter shade is Nude, this color is hard to describe- sort of a shimmery pale mauve beige. The pigmentation and blending of this shade is excellent. The darker shade is Silver Plum and is perfectly named because it is a gorgeous shimmering silvery plum color. Again great pigmentation and blends nicely. I love this duo on my hazel eyes, it really brings out the green!

Swatches: New Avon True Color Eyeshadow Quads

In campaign 19 Avon is relaunching their True Color eyeshadow line with new eyeshadow quads, duos, and singles. In general, I am really impressed with the new formula! Most of the colors I've tried have been really well pigmented, and blended well. I am going to post swatches of the eyeshadow quads that I have tried so far below. I'm also going to list the color names for each quad since some of these shades are also available as singles as well.

Purple Pop is the brightest and trendiest of the purple quads that Avon offers. All of the colors in this quad have a shimmery finish. Here are the colors for this quad:
1. Lavender is a pale shimmery lavender. Great pigmentation and blends well.
2. Pink Berry is a medium shimmery pink. This one had the lightest pigmentation, but built up easily.
3. Purple Flip is a lavender with a pinkish sheen to it. Good pigmentation and blending.
4. Vibrant Violet is a shimmery deep violet. This one is a little patchy but blends out well.

Metal Eyes has 4 neutral metallic and glittery shades. Pigmentation and blending are great with all of these shades.
1. Snowglobe is shimmery white.
2. Gold is a shimmery deep yellow gold.
3. Bronze Luster is a shimmery deep brown with fine bronze glitter throughout.
4. Night Star is a shimmery warm charcoal grey with lots of fine silver and gold glitter.

Emerald Cut is a warm/neutral green palette. All four colors have a shimmery to glittery finish.
1. Shimmering Beige is a shimmery warm ivory. Great pigmentation and blendability.
2. Softened Peach is a warm shimmery peach with fine golden glitter. this one goes on a little sheer but builds up easily.
3. Green Metal is a shimmery khaki green with a slight golden sheen. Good pigmentation and blends very well.
4. Blackened Emerald is a deep shimmery green. The pigmentation is a little patchy with this one, but it builds up very easily and blends out very well.

Chocolate Sensation is one of the new neutral quads. This one is great for doing a brown smokey eye.
1. Shimmering Beige is a shimmery warm ivory. Great pigmentation and blendability.
2. Milk Chocolate is a shimmery neutral brown. Great pigmentation and blendability.
3. Truffle is a shimmery warm brown. Great pigmentation and blendability.
4. Black Brown is a matte deep brown. This one had the least pigmentation but it builds up easily and blends well.

Avon Extra Lasting Eyeshadow Pencils

Left to Right: Shimmering Sand, Topaz Shimmer, Violet, Diamond Black

I am LOVING these new shadow pencils! They are long lasting. I can make it through an entire day, roughly 14 hours from the time I put it on until I wash it off, with very little creasing(and I have oily lids) and no fading. All of the colors have a shimmery finish. They take a few minutes to set, which is nice since it gives you time to apply and blend however you want, and once it sets it stays in place. These work really well on their own or as a shadow base to make your shadows more vibrant and long lasting.