Some many months ago I was minding my own business, surfing the Internet on my iPhone in the train when I received an email from Amber.
FROM MAKEUP GEEK.
I was stoked and almost jumped out of my seat in jubilation to shake the hands of Ms Stranger opposite me who must have found me really weird giggling non-stop to myself. I read the email over and over again just to make sure. And yes!! The good people over at MUG found my review on their Makeup Geek eyeshadows impressive and said they would love to send me 8 MUG eyeshadows.
Nah, I wasn't suffering from the Seventh Pan Itch (like the Seventh Year Itch), but who would say no to more high quality eyeshadows, especially from a brand you so love? When I wrote the review on my first 7 MUG eyeshadows, I knew for sure I'd be back to get more and it was a great privilege to have been offered them by the company itself.
Previously reviewed shades:
- Unicorn
- Cocoa Bear
- Peacock
- Shimmermint
- Razzleberry
- Corrupt
- Shimma Shimma
Reviewing today:
- Dirty Martini
- Galaxy
- Stealth
- Bada Bing
- Ocean Breeze
- Envy
- Glamorous
- Burlesque
I don't know why, but half of the 8 eyeshadows I chose for this batch were dark colors, colors I would reserve for the Outer V, Contour Area or the Lower Lash Line.
MUG Eyeshadow – Dirty Martini
Dirty Martini didn't make it to Marlena's Top 10 Makeup Geek Eyeshadows List, but it was SOLD OUT in the store. Those magical words 'SOLD OUT' made it for the win, and I wanted to know why exactly it was sold out. It's the same as seeing a long queue at an eatery and feeling inclined to join it just to know firsthand what is it that makes people willing to fork out time for it. Haha.
I had to wait for it to be back in stock before Amber could ship all 8 eyeshadows to me.
Dirty Martini is a true matte olive green and an interesting alternative to browns for shading the Contour Area. The formula is very smooth, pigmented and blends effortlessly in swatches and on the lid. Definitely worth the wait.
MUG Eyeshadow – Galaxy
Many people love Corrupt - a dark matte black - but I think it is TOO dark for my liking. I normally don't use black eyeshadow but I got it coz everyone said it was to-die-for. In the end, I didn't like Corrupt at all and so wanted something off-black. Like a dark grey.
Galaxy is a beautiful metallic gunmetal dark grey and has enough shimmer without being overly glittery. Makes for a good smokey eye combination.
Then again, I don't darken my eye with dark greys and blacks that much so this has only had its surface skimmed.
MUG Eyeshadow – Stealth
I don't have a light grey shade in my collection and thought Stealth looked interesting. I did not expect to like Stealth much, but OMG, I LOVE THIS.
Stealth is a matte light grey with lavender undertones. The Makeup Geek site describes this as a 'gray eye shadow', that's all. So it was such a lovely surprise to realize that it has this lovely bluish tone to it. It goes with any color, has great color payoff and is a dream to blend.
If you are learning to intensify your eyes, Stealth would be a good shade to start with. It's not scary like black and is a more fun substitute to plain ol' brown.
MUG Eyeshadow – Bada Bing
The name reminds me of Jar Jar Binks from Star Wars. Lol.
Bada Bing is a dark shimmery brown, with subtle gold flecks. You know, like chocolate with gold sparkles. No fallout issues despite the flecks.
It doesn't swatch nicely, but performs quite alright on the lids. The uneven swatch is not a result of laziness from doing an opaque one, this was done with one or two light swipes and all the times I tried swatching appeared like that. I try to stay true to how it would perform when you apply it to your lids.
I'm on the fence for this one. I should probably wear this more often to see which side of the fence I should stay on.
MUG Eyeshadow – Ocean Breeze
Ocean Breeze is a dark denim blue in the pan but applies a dark metallic grey-blue-green. I find that it is a little harder to blend than the other shades. I would use this on the Outer V or Lower Lash Line.
MUG Eyeshadow – Envy
Envy has got a unique dark green sheen to it; it is an emerald green on black base. From the picture on the website, I thought it would just be slightly darker than L'oreal Infallible Eyeshadow Emerald Lame (that I love very much) or NYX's Mermaid Green.
But no! It's so dark, it looks almost black. Honestly I was a bit disappointed that it was so dark coz then I would have too much darkness in this batch.
SEE! TOO MUCH DARKNESS!
I think it's just me. I am not a fond wearer of very dark colors.
People who like dark colors for smokey eyes would find Ocean Breeze and Envy great shades to work with as they have a lot of depth to them.
MUG Eyeshadow – Glamorous
Glamorous is everything its name proposes. It glams up the eye immediately with its bronzy shimmery gold and application is amazing with its creamy, luxurious texture. Glamorous is brighter than Urban Decay Half Baked, lasts much longer and doesn't oxidize on my lids like Half Baked.
It is more orange-toned than MAC Goldmine, more old gold kind of effect. Oh yeah, like MAC pigment in Old Gold, but less glittery and more wearable. I imagine it to be the color of treasure I'd see if I step into a cave opened by Ali Baba. HAHA!
This would work gorgeously on people with yellow/warm undertones, that's why it is such a favorite of mine.
MUG Eyeshadow – Burlesque
Thanks to Jeanne who commented that in my first MakeupGeek Eyeshadow review her favorites included Burlesque. I was worried if Burlesque would be too similar to NYX's Rust but it turns out they are really quite different.
Burlesque is a shimmery burgundy shade that is super creamy and blendable. No fallout issues and stays on with a rich, satin finish throughout the day. It is much darker than Rust and is less chalky. Burlesque is very versatile, you can use it on the lid, as a contour color, on the lower lash line, or as a liner.
For being such a beautiful shade and amazing quality, Burlesque is definitely one of my favorites MUG eyeshadows!! 😀
Glamorous, Burlesque, Stealth, Dirty Martini, Ocean Breeze are what I highly recommend. Of course, these are my personal preference. As you can see, I lean mostly towards colors and am not a fan of dark or neutral shades.
Eye Makeup Looks Created With Makeup Geek Eyeshadows (from this batch):
Makeup Geek Eyeshadow used (above): Glamorous on Contour Area
Makeup Geek Eyeshadow used: Ocean Breeze on Contour Area
Makeup Geek Eyeshadow used: Eyelid roughly divided into quarters. Glamorous on second section, Burlesque on third section, Bada Bing on fourth section. Envy on Outer V and lower Contour Area.
Makeup Geek Eyeshadow used: Glamorous on main lid. Glamorous is not so shiny and sparkly, of course. I used Lioele Muse Eyeshadow in Gold to catch more light. So pretty! Haha. Self-praise.
Makeup Geek Eyeshadow used: Ocean Breeze on outer third. The green is Shimmermint.
I LOVE COLORS! 😀 😀
The Z Palette - Small would fit 9 MUG or MAC pans perfectly. This striped palette is one of Z Palette's latest designs and I immediately had to own one. It's so pretty! Has a sailor kind of vibe to it, doesn't it?
The small size is what I'd grab some shadows to put in and bring along with me when I don't have time to apply eye makeup at home. I also brought it to my Phuket trip coz I wanted to see if I could live with just 9 shades over the 5 days. It was.... tough. But I lasted. Lol.
You can get Makeup Geek products from http://www.makeupgeek.com/store. The eyeshadows are cruelty free, paraben and talc free, and made in the USA. Sometimes they hold fantastic offers so be sure to check them out often.
The Z Palette is available at dolltodoll.com.
Click here for more Z Palette designs!
Which products from Makeup Geek do you own? Share your views with me! Their new range of gel liners are really tempting!