Category Archives: Swatches
INGLOT Body Sparkles Crystals (Review & Swatches)
A new INGLOT product always gets me excited, and even moreso when it’s a glitter(esque) launch!
A month or so ago, INGLOT launched their Body Sparkles Crystals. They’re a play off their initial Body Sparkles launch – while the original Body Sparkles are incredibly finely ground glitter, the Body Sparkles Crystals have a much larger, flakier texture.
In the pot, you’d assume they were all white/translucent except for the bright gold. However, they’re all actually duochrome in nature and have a colourful reflect depending on the angle in which you look at the product.
When photographed at an angle, you can see a bit more of the colours peeking out. There’s a bit of purple, or teal, or pink hue to some of the shades. And while they’re fun looking in the pot, they’re truly spectacular on the eyes.
Here’s a closer up shot so you can see a bit of the texture of the Body Sparkles Crystals. They’re really flaky – it’s a texture you’d expect to see in a nail polish!
INGLOT recommends using them on top of their Eye Shadow Keeper (an eye primer) and using their silicone paddle brush (the INGLOT 45S). I found that the silicone brush was really, really helpful for application. When I tried to apply these with a regular brush, it ended up being such a mess. Your finger may work, but I’d definitely recommend picking up the 45S brush if you plan on snagging any of these Body Sparkles Crystals. They do also apply nicely on top of a primer or a glitter glue to help really lock the flecks in place.
I’ve got several swatches in this post because I really wanted you to see the different tones and textures the Body Sparkles Crystals have on the skin. Above is my “regular” swatch shot – taken with my DSLR and straight on. Amazingly, you can really see the colour shift on bare skin.
Swatched on top of a black base, you can see the colour comes out a lot more strongly and the flakes are more evident. Some are chunky, and others are smaller specks.
And finally, the shot above is with my phone (which automatically equals garbage photos) but I thought it was neat to see the texture this way as well.
Here’s how they worked out on my eyes:
101 has the opalescent shift and I opted to put it on top of a light pink base. You can see the crystals peeking out and it looks like pieces of fragmented glass.
103 didn’t come out as I would’ve liked, so I think it would’ve worked a lot better on top of a light green base (I have it over an ivory/cream shade). 103 was one of my favourite colours in this launch, but I sadly didn’t do it justice.
Funny how the first three photos were all purple looks! 104 is more of a pinky-purple toned glitter and worked a lot better on top of the purple base I put underneath it.
105 was so freaking cool. I know it looks like there’s a gap in the crystals at the top-center of my lid, but that’s just how it looks at certain angles – like there’s pieces missing. Once you move a little bit, that fragmented piece shows up – it’s really a neat effect.
And lastly, I put 106 on the inner corner of my eye for a fractured glitter look. This is one of the more subtle ways to wear glitter because if I zoom you out…
…it’s not as obvious that I’ve got a ton of glitter on my face. Of course, you could apply this to your temples or along your cheekbones for a super glittery, flaky look… and I may just do that during the summer months!
Final Thoughts
I *love* these! The INGLOT Body Sparkles Crystals are something new and exciting, and I loved playing with them. I’m already a huge fan of glitter, so it was nice to try out this flaky/fragmented glass texture on my eyes instead. I have an old MAC shadow from one of their holiday collection years ago that has this kind of flaky glitter on it, and it’s been years since I’ve seen another brand release something similar. I love that these are all ivory-to-colour duochromes because those are my favourite kinds of duochromes.
I did feel that this took a little bit of playing around to figure out what works best for them. Fundamentally, I think either a straight black base, or a base that is similar in colour to the Crystal you’re going to be applying is necessary to make the colour stand out. Application with the silicone paddle (the 45S) was massively helpful for getting the flecks in just the right places on my eye.
In short – I love these. I think they’re a fun new take on glitter and I’ve been having a lot of fun playing with them!
If you’re interested in picking these up (or any INGLOT products), use code using “MAKEUPYOURMIND” for 10% off your orders on these web sites:
The products featured in this post were sent to me for consideration. Post contains affiliate links.
Swatch Sunday: Urban Decay Naked Reloaded
We all knew this was coming after the funeral was held for the original Urban Decay Naked palette… say hello to UD’s latest incarnation: the Naked Reloaded palette!
Urban Decay has ditched the original Naked palette in favour of updating it for our tastes today. They’ve added more mattes and removed the brush (hooray for both!). I’ll have a full review on my YouTube channel up on Tuesday, but in the meantime please enjoy the swatches!
Urban Decay Naked Reloaded Swatches
The Urban Decay Naked Reloaded palette will be available on Urban Decay’s web site and in freestanding stores on February 18. Sephora launches will be later in March.
The product featured in this post was sent to me for consideration. Post contains affiliate links.
VIDEO: Tarte Tarteist Pro Palette – Review, Swatches & 5 Looks
BECCA Year of the Pig Highlighter (Review & Swatches)
Lunar New Year was February 5, and BECCA celebrated by launching their Year of the Pig Shimmering Skin Perfector – a limited edition item embossed with the cutest little pig you ever did see.
The Pig is the 12th of all the zodiac animals, and it’s actually an emblem of my own birth year as well: 1983. So this is the third time a year of the pig has occurred in my life as I’m now 36!
BECCA‘s Year of the Pig highlighter comes int their standard compact, this one with a gold edge. The embossed pig on the powder matches the pig on the box: very chubby, and very, very cute!
While BECCA says that Year of the Pig is a soft, peachy pink, I’d personally call it more of a soft icy white. I don’t see any peach in the product, but there is a small nuance of pink. It’s not as strong as their Pearl highlighter, which can appear as a very stark white.
On the cheeks I was a bit surprised with the outcome. I’m used to BECCA’s highlighters being incredibly showy, and Year of the Pig is really quite soft. It has more of a “lit from within” look than a “lighthouse beacon in the middle of the night” look. This product is definitely for those who want a soft highlighter. If you’re used to BECCA‘s usual blingy highlighter and that’s what you want, then this isn’t for you.
Final Thoughts
While the initial application of BECCA‘s Year of the Pig surprised me (because I expected something much, much stronger), I have to say I really like the outcome. I don’t play with subtle makeup very often and I sometimes miss out on that just overall pretty glow you can get from something that’s a bit softer, more nuanced. If you’re someone who is after that softer look, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed by this limited edition launch.
The BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector Highlighter in Year of the Pig can be purchased at sephora.ca for $51 CAD. (Sorry, I no longer see it on Sephora USA!)
The product featured in this post was sent to me for consideration. Post contains affiliate links.