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| Bourjois Smoky Eyes Trio in 05 Rose Vintage* |
The Bourjois Smoky Eyes Trio uses "baked technology", is enriched with mineral powders, and is fragrance free. It's cutely packaged in a "compact case" that includes a double-tipped applicator. I've dropped the compact onto tiled floors at least twice in the past month and it has only 1 scratch on it and the shadows haven't broken or cracked, which is pretty impressive. Had I dropped my professional palette (again), I would've mourned the death of at least one (more) shade.
My first impression was that it would make a great blush. At least, that was my intention for the medium shade as it looked like the perfect shimmery pink for my complexion (I've noticed that I tend to think this about many products colour-coded as "rose"), but after trying it I've decided that it is much better as a cheek highlighter, as shown in this video. I don't usually stray far from neutrals when it comes to eye shadow, so I was a bit hesitant when trying this out.
It says "silky, easy-to-blend texture, 8-hour wear" and I find this to be accurate. Mostly. It's super silky and soft and easy to blend, but I found the lightest shade to be "harder" than the others: it didn't pick up onto my brush as easily as the other 2 shades, and I had to do that horrible swiping motion with my brush to get the pigment onto the brush. You know, like some impatient cashiers do with your Smart Shopper/Vitality/Clicks card? Or like you did when you were about 6 years old, playing shop-shop with your plastic till? I'm all for product economy, and all that friction created "dust" and I had to wipe away most of it. I find that a finger works slightly better.
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| Left: no flash. Right: flash. Yes, I'll get better at taking pics with one hand. |
The lightest shade looks like a pale rose mist-/seashell-/lavender blush-/antique white-meets-pearl or, more simply, a shimmery champagne pink. Although, it didn't pick up easily with the brush, it was soft and easy to blend once on the skin. You can also use this shade not only as a highlighter on your brow bone and inner corners of your eye, but also on the bridge of your nose and cupid's bow. Use it sparingly, though, as it is very shimmery. Great glam for night, but I'd spend more time blending for day wear.
The medium shade is my favourite. It's a light piggy-pink shade. It's great over the entire lid as an everyday application. It's my lazy-girl shade at the moment, meaning if I have to leave the house, I swipe it on, apply mascara and that's my eyes done. Nothing else needed, as it's so pretty and brightening enough on it's own. As mentioned above, it works nicely as a cheek highlighter. It may be slightly too pink (and shimmery) to use as a highlighter anywhere else on your face. Depending on your complexion, you could use this as a shimmer blush, or as a shimmery veil over your matte blush. Remember to start off with a light-hand and blend well. It's easier to layer to get the desired effect, than to try to correct too much shimmer at a later stage. This shade is also great to dab over a lifeless matte, pink lipstick/tint/gloss, and you could do this over the entire lip or just at the centre for some dimension.
"Plummy" was the first thought I had when testing the darkest/sculpt shade. Actually, it's the colour of dried-red-roses before they turn brown and crumble. Duh, "Rose Vintage". It's intense. You won't need to dampen your brush to intensify this shade, simply pat it on and BOOM! It doesn't become much darker the more you layer it. It's pigment-rich and what you see is what you get. I did a single application (one layer) in the swatch above. What DOES happen when you layer it, though, is that the lighter accents of the shade become more apparent, giving it a more pinky, pearlized effect.
The Bourjois Smoky Eyes Trio in 05 Rose Vintage can be versatile in terms of function and the colours are great for any eye and complexion colour. Although I was a little concerned at first about the "pinks", it complements my brown eyes, and I've worn even the darkest shade more than I thought I would. I don't often expect eyeshadows to last for 8 hours, even if it clearly states that it will, but this one did. In fact, it lasted just over 10 hours. I applied it in the morning, cleaned the house**, walked the dogs on the beach**, made dinner and then showered, and it was still intact before I showered. I had rubbed my eye once that day, forgetting I had applied a full face makeup, and it smudged a little, but didn't come off completely. I hadn't used a primer or applied powder that day, I simply applied it over my tinted moisturizer, which seemed to be enough. There was slight creasing, though, but not enough to make me want to remove it or reapply it. Nothing a primer or some powder pre-application couldn't fix, in my opinion.
I've put the Bourjois Smoky Eyes Trio 05 Rose Vintage in my personal makeup collection, and there it will stay. Not only because of all the above reasons, but also because the man had noticed it and said I looked pretty and asked if I was going out when I applied it that morning before cleaning (even though I was wearing trackpants and an over-sized t-shirt). That coming from a guy who asks, "Did you wash your hair?" or says, "your hair looks nice" when he thinks something's different but can't figure out what...like when I tweeze my eyebrows or paint my nails. Really.
Miss B
*prices vary depending on where you purchase it. I've checked a few online stores, but the price varies by as much as R70.
**This is how I test the "longevity" of makeup: I apply it in the morning after cleaning my face, I clean the house (properly, not just pack dishes away) and then walk the dogs. Sometimes I'll throw a workout into the mix, but this rarely happens.
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