Pocket Smokey Eye: MAC Mineralize Quad in Fog & Mist

I will admit to having had some serious boredom this past Bank Holiday Sunday. The weather was changeable in the extreme, I’d been out and back, I was avoiding doing some work, and so I whipped this little baby out.
MAC MINERALIZE QUAD
Why not spend a rainy, dull Bank Holiday Sunday working on my smokey eye technique?

It didn’t take much work a’tall, thanks to MAC‘s little quad of Fog & Mist goodness. I have been so reluctant to try to do The Smokey Eye on my own — seriously, even after all this time working a beauty journo, even after many professionally applied make up sessions — that I decided to risk it for a biscuit, and give this a go.

Those days are over. This is such an easy-to-use, quality product, that even a scaredy cat like me managed it.

The easy-to-use part comes in as regards texture and pigment: the colour is perfect and has just the correct amount of heft — and yet despite that heft, it is eminently buildable, and it glides on every part of your eye area gently but firmly. Further, as opposed to less-excellent brands whose powder either doesn’t adhere properly to the brush, much less the eyelid, it stays where you put it.

This looks like somebody else did it, if I do say so myself.
MAC QUAD sparkle

MAC QUAD pop
Some mist all over the eye, some fog in the crease, some really foggy fog under the eye, as well as some black liner on the inside lower lid, which I haven’t done since… a long time.

MAC QUAD lo light
Above, in less direct light. Even mistier and foggier! I know that quads really aren’t anything new — I’m sure I bought my first Chanel quad in art college — but having the colours all cheek-by-jowl in such a clever little compact just makes it feel even more portable. I just think this would be terrific for taking on a holiday because it’s small yet versatile. Not so terrific as you need to bring brushes along too — has anyone got a travel-sized brush set of good quality? I would very much like to know.

It lasted for the rest of that dull, rainy Bank Holiday Sunday.

Also! I swear, this increased the size of my limbal ring, which means: even more sexiness!

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€22.50

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What’s that mascara, you ask?

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Haiku Review: L’Oréal Superliner Perfect Slim

Oh, The Smokey Eye:
The unicorn of beauty.
How do I catch it?!?!

Yeah, ’cause that whole ‘virgin-sitting-under-a-tree-in-the forest’ ship has sailed.

L’Oréal Paris are, in my humble opinion, one of the best over-the-counter cosmetic lines going. Yesterday, I received the following:
>False Lash Telescopic Mascara (€16.99/£10.49)
>SuperLiner Gel Intenza Eyeliner (€14.99/£8.99)
>SuperLiner Perfect Slim (€10.49/£6.49)

Now, for me, TSE is all about the liner. I know the eyeshadow enters into it, duh, but if you don’t have the lining of the lid down pat, you can use all the black shadow in the world and it won’t make a blind bit of difference.

Now, also for me, liner is like… it’s like an algebra test. I’ve studied, I really have, but wow, the mark I get is just never as good as I thought it would be. I don’t blame the maths — at least, not in this analogy. I know it’s all down to me.

I am giving the Gel Intenza Eyeliner the hairy eye ball because the brush part, I can’t even, it scares me. I expect this is also down to failure to have the proper tools, and really ought to invest in a proper, stand up make up mirror, one that has a magnifying side. I know: I don’t have one! I wonder if I should even be allowed to write about make up!

Until that happy day {which may be tomorrow, I am so mortified right now} I am going to keep attempting TSE with liners. And I must say, that the SuperLiner Perfect Slim is pretty darn effective. The tip is an extended, tapered brush, and applies in a consistent line, of whatever thickness you desire. Since I’ve still got the stabilisers/training wheels on, I did a thinnish line. Because of the precision of the tip, I managed to do it right!

With the addition of the False Lash Telescopic Mascara, I really had a good thing going on. This mascara says it will create a false eyelash effect, and it does. Unlike many chemists/drugstore brands, this was ready to rock on first application. I don’t know, I’ve used other brands which often require warming up or something? Like, you have to have the wand hit the oxygen several times before it seems to work properly {Only me? Sheesh.}

I wanted to try this immediately, and did so, even though it was Tuesday, and I was going horseriding that night. Tuesday is not a Make Up Day generally, because I don’t want to sweat and smear and all that nasty stuff, and have to take the bus home looking like a panda. Can I say? Only the slightest, tiniest bit of the liner got smudgy, on the outside of my eyes. So, seriously, if this can withstand an hour of pretty intense physical exertion — including the jumping of fences! — then you can take this craic clubbing, and beyond…