Thursday, January 15, 2015

Neutral Border, Russet Centre

Before I get into the blog post, just a quick but heartfelt thank you for all the sweet comments in my last post. I know I should be a lot better at responding to comments, but if I couldn't/didn't reply to all of you individually, know that I truly appreciate the time and effort it takes to leave a note, and for all the support, encouragement and understanding.

Remember how I wasn't supposed to buy more makeup? Well, that failed. Miserably. While roadtripping with my parents in the days after Christmas, I noticed My Chemist were having a 50% off Rimmel, Maybelline and Revlon sale. I wasn't intending to purchase anything, but when I spotted the Rimmel Glam'Eyes HD 5-Colour Eyeshadow in Brixton Brown (022), my willpower crumbled. This was the same palette featured on major UK beauty blogs about a year ago (see I Covet Thee, Lily Pebbles, Vivianna Does Makeup), and for a period, it was popping up in videos and on my blog feed regularly. As with every hyped product, I couldn't resist seeing for myself what the fuss was about.


I've only had this palette for 2 weeks but for some reason it looks more like 2 years.




l-r (as marked in the diagram at the back of the palette): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

The highlight shade (1) is a beige, slightly pinky, pearlescent shimmer — quite whitish and concentrated. The matte on the bottom left (2) is a medium, neutral tan/camel shade (kind of what I imagine MAC Paint Pot in Groundwork looks like). Oddly, I always thought it looked khaki in the pan, but it doesn't translate on the lids as green in any way. The second darkest shade (3) is a dark chocolate brown with somewhat mauve/ashy tones. The darkest colour (5) is a deep, cool-toned brown, close to black but not quite. The red in the middle (4) is a very metallic, vibrantly pigmented russet/burnt orangey-red — distinctly autumnal in character.

(MAC Eye Kohl in Powersurge on lower lash line.)


My first impressions of Brixton Brown weren't great, mainly because when I opened it, the light brown shade basically couldn't be swatched. It was like it had no pigment. Maybe the surface had sealed the way a lot of my blushes do and needed to be scratched to get any colour payoff. When I returned home from my trip and tried brushes to apply the shadows (as opposed to my fingers or the sad sponge applicator it came with), the palette redeemed itself in my eyes.

I've been relying on the e.l.f. Essential Blending Eye Brush to pack on the light brown shade all over the lid. I then blend some of the second darkest shade from the lower lashline upwards, focusing the darkest shade on the outer corner and finishing by patting some of the red on the centre of the lid. Admittedly, the whole look is a tad heavy and smoky for the daytime, but since I usually wear black-rimmed glasses, the stronger eye makeup isn't as apparent and balances out my dark frames.

As shown in the swatch of all the shades, the shadows themselves are nicely pigmented (though the light brown shade is still the weakest link in that respect, as much as I love the colour). They're fairly soft, borderline powdery in texture, and while there's a bit of fall out with the darker shades, it's nothing that tapping your brush to get rid of excess pigment can't fix.

30 comments:

  1. this quad is so pretty, will defiantly have to look for this. that copper color is so pretty

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  2. Ahh I'm a sucker for neutral palettes! Love the reddish burnt shade. It looks surprisingly wearable.

    Wendy x

    letsrunawayx.blogspot.com

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  3. I too, can't resist neutral eyeshadows haha and I agree that I would think the palette would be 2 years old rather than 2 weeks. Probably the design... The swatches are brilliant! so clear *o* lovely post!
    ~Weng wengiful

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  4. I've heard really amazing things about tiny-palette from Rimmel! It's hard to find here but, looks quite good. I recently got a quad from kiko and I'm waiting for the Chocolate Bar from Too Faced (the new one), otherwise I would try to hunt down this one!
    Take care*

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  5. I need this! The middle bronze colour look like my sorta thing! x

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  6. Wow, that's such a great combo! Absolutely love the effect on your eyes :D

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  7. I love your eye look and it does seem pretty in the packaging. I have a pallete similar to this and it did the same thing so I think some eye shadows like having a separate brush. It does look really lovely though.

    Jackie | fashionxfairytale | bloglovin' |

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  8. This reminds me of that Dior quint that Lisa Eldridge always waxes poetic about! Beige Massaii or something?

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  9. The russet shade is soooo gorgorous! That colour itself just makes me want to buy the palette!

    Yet Another Makeup Blog.

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  10. That palette looks soooo nice! And that orange burnt eyeshadow... my god. NEED.

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  11. I need this palette! Beautiful bronze tones!

    http://happinessvictim.blogspot.com
    x

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  12. I love the colours in this palette and the look you have created on your eye is lovely. I can see why you couldn't resist buying it! :) x

    Brenda BusyBee | Makeup Revolution & Benefit Giveaway

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  13. this palette looks so pretty, such lovely wearable colours - great post!!

    fashion, beauty and an existential crisis

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  14. Lovely palette & they're colours that I would reach for. I love browns & the copper shade is so pretty.
    http://www.letstalkbeauty.co.uk/

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  15. This palette reminds me of the Charlotte Tilbury Dolce Vita palette.. the color scheme is very similar ^^
    I haven't had any eye shadow from Rimmel, but I love their foundation, powder and lipsticks :) Great that you got it for 50% off!

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    1. That's what Lily Pebbles said and it was one of the driving factors that led me to buy it, lol!

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  16. I absolutely love the shades in this palette!

    Connie | Sponsored by Coffee

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  17. The middle colour looks so beautiful! xo

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  18. This is such a stunning palette! I need to stop putting off picking it up.

    nueyork.blogspot.com

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  19. I picked this up too when it was on sale (plus my work discount didn't hurt, haha) and yeah, my first impressions weren't great! I just didn't think the shadows were very well formulated. I've only worn it once since and it was a bit of a slapdash application, so I should really give it another, proper go. The shades are super pretty, but definitely more autumnal!

    Tasha // shiwashiful.

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  20. Ahhh, it looks stunning. The swatches are so pretty. Loved the EOTD

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  21. The russet looks gorgeous! What a cute and affordable palette.

    Tiff | AMtoPM

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  22. I really like the reddy russet shade, it looks like a colour available at more expensive brands. This is tempting me into a little foray into Priceline sometime soon...

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  23. This looks like a good palette! I don't really wear eyeshadow much though, so I probably won't be buying it. I can't imagine myself using that russet shade since I tend to use neutrals (if I do wear eyeshadow).

    Ling | The Cosmetic Critic

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  24. After all the hype for this I really want to give it another go - I swatched it and it didn't seem that pigmented - clearly it is from yours though haha xx

    Magpie Jasmine || Palette Giveaway: Urban Decay, Nars, Charlotte Tilbury, Too Faced

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  25. Oh wow, I didn't expect that at all! I didn't think those shade would pack SUCH a punch! I love the russet center, it's not too red of a shade either! And those deeper browns are just stunning! Thanks for the review!

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  26. Love the bronze. I have the rose colourway - Pinkadilly Circus, I think - and am pretty impressed. But I'm a bit of a sucker for anything Rimmel really.

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