I'm back with more from ArtDeco's Fall/Winter Mystical Forest collection! I posted about one of the
nail polishes previously, but makeup always takes a bit longer to test and photograph. Today I'm sharing some details and looks using the lip and eye products, including a unique eyeshadow system! Though it's a seasonal collection, these shades are still available for purchase online at retailers like
Beauty Bay.
Hydra Lip Booster is a lip gloss that promises translucent colour, shine, and hydration all in one. 46 Translucent Mountain Rose is a neutral-toned dusty rose; on my discoloured lips, it evens out the discolouration just a bit but dark spots are still visible. This would be a great staple in a lip wardrobe, since the MLBB-ish soft rose shade pairs well with any makeup look.
Application using the standard doefoot applicator was very smooth, and it doesn't settle into lines. I hate glosses that feel super thick and sticky, so I'm glad that this one wasn't too heavy and very comfortable to wear. The formula is forgiving even if you have chronically-dry lips like mine.
Soft Lip Liner is a waterproof and wipe-resistant lip liner with a soft, creamy texture that imparts colour easily. The shade I received, 79 Mystical Heart, is a beautiful berry. Shades like this with a slightly cool, purple lean to it are exactly my type, so I fell head over heels in love. It would match well with shades like MAC Fashion Revival, Sephora Rouge Lip Cream in Crush, or Annabelle TwistUp in Cherry.
I'm not so experienced with using lip liners because I prefer the softer look of no liner, but I like ArtDeco Soft Lip Liner a lot. It's not as firm as a regular Annabelle lip liner, but not as creamy as Annabelle self-sharpening or ColourPop liners (however, it's far, far more resistant to rubbing--it hardly budges!) As a lip liner, I know it's obviously intended for
lining, but I couldn't resist filling my lips in completely with this pretty shade:
You can tell how old this photo is because of my post-Hawaii hair!
Being a waterproof, rub-resistant liner, it's not going to be terribly forgiving on the lips if you fill them completely. Up close, my lips were visibly dry because I unwisely didn't prep my lips properly beforehand, but I still love how it turned out.
Next up is the
Eye Designer Applicator and
Eye Designer Refill. The concept is really intriguing: the Applicator is tipped on each end with sponge eyeshadow applicators, and you load a Refill (a powder eyeshadow "cartridge") by removing the black cap and twisting it on to one end of the Applicator. By doing this, the sponge tip picks up the eyeshadow inside in the Refill, so it's ready to go.
I received two shades of the Eye Designer Refill: 83 Mountain Ash, a greyed cornflower blue, and 88 Dimgray, a cool, deep taupe. Both shades perfectly fit the "misty autumn forest" theme of this collection, and have a satiny finish.
 |
| 83 Mountain Ash e/s, 88 Dimgray e/s, Soft Lip Liner in 79 Mystical Heart, Hydra Lip Booster in 46 Translucent Mountain Rose |
Theoretically, this is an awesome option for travel or to throw in a purse because it's so portable, as well as cutting down on wasteful plastic packaging. Application-wise, they were quite smooth and had no fallout. However, there are a few problems. For one, the sponge applicator doesn't pick up much eyeshadow, which is tightly packed into the Refill cartridge. I had to go back and forth between screwing on the Refill (to load up the sponge tip) and applying it several times before I could work it up to the opacity I wanted. Secondly, you'll need to use your fingers or bring along a brush if you want to do any blending. Attempting to blend with the Applicator will result in something closer to erasing than blending.
(This photo was taken after swatching Soft Lip Liner, after I got my hair re-coloured and got rid of all that awful orangey-ness. This post is inadvertently doubling as a lesson in the effects of heavy sun exposure to dyed hair @___@)
I'm wearing 83 Mountain Ash near the lashline, which I blended into 88 Dimgray on the lid. Lips are ColourPop Lumiere, not the Hydra Lip Booster, FYI.
I think if you're looking for a very convenient and portable package,
and you prefer your eyeshadow looks on the softer, subtler side, then the Eye Designer system might be right for you. Personally I feel like it's a lot of hassle to use, and there is a sacrifice of versatility and opacity in exchange for the convenience. The Eye Designer Applicator itself is $18 CAD for what is essentially a glorified version of the sponge tip applicators that come in eyeshadow palettes.
 |
I quite like the long-wearing Soft Lip Liner (even though it looks a bit dry in the earlier photo) and 79 Mystical Heart is a great shade to work with my ever-growing collection of berry/slightly purply lipsticks. Hydra Lip Booster is also nice if you're into lip gloss, but the pigmentation wasn't strong enough for my preferences. I know I came across kind of harsh on the eyeshadow, but the Refill shades really are quite pretty, and what I was able to apply was very smooth. I suspect their potential is limited by the Applicator; I'm going to try freeing them from the cartridge to use with normal e/s brushes as loose shadow >:)
Available at Shoppers Drug Mart, Beauty Bay: Hydra Lip Booster ($18 CAD / 6 ml); Soft Lip Liner ($12 / 1.2 g); Eye Designer Applicator ($18 CAD); Eye Designer Refill ($14 CAD / 0.8 g)
