Posted by
Dain,
Thursday, October 04, 2007
12:27 AM (Eastern)
I've been curious about the shadows for a while now. HIP is short for "High Intensity Pigments", and I remember the first promotional brochure, it was originally marketed at women of color, who do need stronger colors. But it has spread in popularity, so I don't think that's their angle any more. It's just "edgy", and it really, really reminds of NARS. Many are dead ringers for NARS duos, though I'm sure the shades differ somewhat: Spirited (Paris), Flashy (Misfit), Flamboyant (Bysance), Showy (Persepolis), Brazen (Divine), Flare (Mediteranee)... I'm not complaining, though. NARS shadows don't come cheap. L'Oréal HIP is only $7, and this week, Walgreens is have a Buy One Get One Free sale on the entire line.
There are two types of duos, "Bright" and "Concentrated". I snapped up two of the "Concentrated" variety. I wanted a third, but... there wasn't a fourth product I really wanted, and I was determined not to get any lip products because I have quite enough of those. They're all packaged in round containers with clear lids (a move I approve of, I hate fussing around looking for the correct color), and a bottom that snaps out revealing a mirror and sponge-tip applicator (which I find a little odd). Though you can't test in the store, I can assure you, these are surprisingly good quality, more or less equal to MAC's, but not quite the level of, say, Shu Uemura. Drugstore eyeshadows are usually not worth buying for two reasons: texture (they often go on choppy) and lack of pigment. But these are moderately silky and moderately pigmented, such as one might expect from luxury brands. And the shade selection is exciting and beautiful, a handful are too warm for me, but they'd look fantastic on blue or green eyes.
Here are the ones I chose (the flash washed both of them out a little, but it's good enough for an approximation):
Sassy 208
On the left, a shade that should be considered a copycat of NARS Ashes to Ashes, a softly shimmering pewter-taupe (but more taupe than pewter) with slight lavender tones (considerably pinkish in the photograph). It is somewhat more intense than A2A. On the left, something similar to one of the shades in the NARS Underworld duo, a dusky sea-blue shimmer that might be green enough to be called teal if it weren't for the melancholic grey depths that seems to run under the surface shimmer. These duos are so much like NARS (if not in quality, at least in spirit) that for the first time in a long while, I felt the need to show shades on a model (as ever, my sister; I find it difficult to photograph myself, either my hands are too unsteady or I can't get the right angle, but my sister is a good substitute). I did a more colorful variant on a smoky eye, using L'Oréal Carbon Black Le Khôl Pencil to line, with a little Powersurge layered over it near the inner corner (not visible here). I used a small brush to layer the sea blue, concentrating pigment just at the lashline (the creamy base makes it especially vibrant) and outer corner, and sweeping a small bit under bottom lashes (just outer corners), and used the more neutral taupe to soften it up towards the crease. I continued to layer the colors, because photographs tend to wash out the intensity, but I found it also gave me a softer, more well-blended effect. Champagne to highlight, no mascara.
Retro 238 LIMITED EDITION
A pity this is LE, because it's pretty. I've been savoring the idea of an indigo-hued liner for some time, one drawn as graphic and slick as the more traditional (and ubiquitous) black liquid liner, so I was attracted to this one the moment I saw it. That's the look I attempted here. It's a very rich sapphire hue, equally and ideally balanced between deep and bold, particularly gorgeous on my dark brown eyes. The other shade is your standard demure champagne, absolutely neutral but slightly silvered, as you can see in the photograph. A useful, if unexciting color. NOTA BENE: these are not the most pigmented shadows on the market, but frankly, I have difficulty getting color payoff from a lot of NARS. One trick I have learned is to layer a deeper "liner" shade over a creamy pencil, often MAC Powersurge but other shades work just as well. This is a much more convenient technique than applying shadows wet.
On an unrelated note, I got some of that Bisous de Provence soap from Trader Joe's that Colleen raved about, in Citrus Verbena and... err... Rose Eglantine, I think it's called (thought they complemented each other). I'm gonna go shower right now!
The best one, imo, is the innocuous-looking Trader Joe's shea butter soap. They don't always have it (at least my TJ's doesn't), and it's a plain white bar, like a slightly fancier bar of Ivory soap.
I think the shea butter one smells the best and strongest, with the longest-lasting scent, yet it's not drying.
A close second would be Bisous de Provence lavender...the little bits of lavender are scrubby (slightly more than the rose petals in the rose one). The rose and lemon verbena ones are good, then there's this obscure green tea one that appears now and then.
I used to get extremely dry, itchy skin on my legs in winter, and used to try slathering on lotion...but I haven't gotten it, since I switched over to these soaps (I used to use Irish Spring and Dial).
Yup, I'm planning to work my way through them. My local Trader Joe's had tons of them in stock, including an Almond Ginger. I was gonna get the Lavender and Wild Rose, but I'm partial to Lavender, figured my family might as well try a few different ones.
Dain
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October 4, 2007 12:52 AM,
Mmm... yummy. Not really a fan of citrus fragrances, but it makes pleasant washing. And the other one's called Wild Rose.
October 4, 2007 12:57 PM,
The best one, imo, is the innocuous-looking Trader Joe's shea butter soap. They don't always have it (at least my TJ's doesn't), and it's a plain white bar, like a slightly fancier bar of Ivory soap.
I think the shea butter one smells the best and strongest, with the longest-lasting scent, yet it's not drying.
A close second would be Bisous de Provence lavender...the little bits of lavender are scrubby (slightly more than the rose petals in the rose one). The rose and lemon verbena ones are good, then there's this obscure green tea one that appears now and then.
I used to get extremely dry, itchy skin on my legs in winter, and used to try slathering on lotion...but I haven't gotten it, since I switched over to these soaps (I used to use Irish Spring and Dial).
October 4, 2007 4:41 PM,
Yup, I'm planning to work my way through them. My local Trader Joe's had tons of them in stock, including an Almond Ginger. I was gonna get the Lavender and Wild Rose, but I'm partial to Lavender, figured my family might as well try a few different ones.
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