It was only recently that I jumped on the Face Of Australia (FOA) bandwagon and I think I like the ride thus far. So when I went along for the beauty blogger meet up over the weekend and Celeste and I were purchasing products to get our paws on the goodie bag worth $50 at Priceline, I thought I ought to pick up a few FOA products (Stacey brought along two FOA products that did not work for her which I took to try and have yet to try them but they will come along soon enough) for myself.
What caught my eye were the Opulent Eyes palettes. It was definitely tempting to get all four but I had to resist and so I got the Rich & Famous and Endless Nights palettes.
First thoughts? I actually noticed how each applicator provided in all four palettes have a different color handle! Seriously, that was what I first noticed about these palettes! Then of course I drooled after the colors themselves.
In terms of Rich & Famous I loved the array of neutrals ending with a dark chocolate brown. I wanted to push my boundaries and get this palette knowing the lighter shades were ones I usually stray away from.
With Endless Nights I saw opportunities to finally perfect the smokey eye, plus the dark and light blue shades at the end were also out of my comfort zone as I usually stay clear of blues.
Reading up more about these palettes, FOA says:
'Limited edtion Opulent Eyes collection, offers eye shadow palettes that create a world of glamour and splendour.
Combining sheer femininity with the most eloquent of seasonal shades, the oven baked formulation releases rich, sophisticated colour to brighten the eyes and deliver a soft, velvety finish for exquisite effects.'
I have no idea about you but usually when I read a make up product is "oven baked" I am hesitant and reluctant about using the product because the pigmentation is usually absolutely worthless. Somehow oven baked really does nothing but give you a lump of color that you cannot even smash up to bring out its color. So I was a bit apprehensive but figured I had to get over this reluctance.
Now, this is where the complications begin...
I am hardly rough with my make up but somehow while swatching Rich & Famous I had a lot of fall out with the top shades and managed to smash the edge of the third last shade. Oops? I was pretty devastated, I hate messy looking palettes, lipsticks - anything - so just getting this result after swatching really had me dancing around cringing. I guess I just like my products looking as new and perfect as possible?
The swatch itself. These are actually second swatches as the first time around the photos were too dark and I decided I wanted to swatch these wet instead of dry...because to be honest these colors needed either a primer or be used wet because otherwise you do not see much color. And glancing back at the photo I realize now I have swatched this...in a very unusual manner. Shade 1 (the white) is the first in the second row, Shade 2 is on top of it, Shade 3 is next to Shade 2 (second color on the first row), Shade 4 is under it and then Shade 5 (the lighter dark brown) is the last color on the second row and Shade 6 - the final color - is on top of Shade 5.
What the heck Suki?!
I think you can figure it out. If you have problems, I will draw you a map.
Thinking I would have better luck with Endless Nights I tackled it with as much care as possible...
Seriously. And instead I end up with the most flaky fallout ever. Dandruff problems much, Endless Nights? Another thing I hate is wasting...so I think the next time I use this palette I will need to use a lip brush to collect those shed flakes of color. It is the Asian in me, death is probably preferable to wasting.
Again, I swatched this wet. You benefit more using a primer or using these wet because otherwise they are very faded washes of color. And, er, once again I have some dodgy swatching going on: Shade 1 (the white) is the first color on the bottom row, Shade 2 is on top of it, Shade 3 is the light gray (second on the bottom row), Shade 4 is on top of it, Shade 5 (the dark blue) is the last swatch on the second row and Shade 6 is on top of it.
(Yes, I know, I will never be an amazing beauty blogger. If you have not noticed by now I am a model with absolutely no sense of make up, it is tragic so please sympathize.)
Whew! This is a headache of a review isn't it? To compensate, I am actually going to compile a list of pros and cons.
Pros
- Good value
- Easy to throw together different looks using one palette
- Simple packaging and organizing
- Nice colors when used properly
Cons
- "Strips" of color are a pain to use as your brush ends up picking up some of the other colors (and a pro for the applicators provided: I actually find them easier to use than a brush!)
- A lot of fall out in palette (which is a con for me personally)
- Need a primer or to use these shades wet to get maximum color and longevity
On to looks using the palettes. First look is using the Rich & Famous palette:
Second look is using the Endless Nights palette with a dark lip color:
Third look is Endless Nights again but just with a more neutral lip color to play up the eye colors more:
All in all I actually do like these palettes despite the nitty-gritty complaints I brought up. They make for great daily wear colors to reach for and they survive a regular day although you might want to touch up once if you want a more lasting color.
All four palettes in the Opulent Eyes collection are limited edition so be sure to hurry and get them if you want to try them out. They usually retail for around AUD$14 if I am not mistaken but Celeste and I got ours for about AUD$12.
