This morning I woke up to gloomy, overcast weather and felt like I needed to fight back! I dove straight into three of the new items from Aglow Holiday 2008, the new color collection from Prescriptives: Winter Reflections Cool Eye Color Quad, Winter Reflections All-Over Color and Colorscope Lip Gloss in Twinkling.
Winter Reflections Cool Eye Color Quad ($42, limited edition)
The quad comes with four cool-toned eye shadows for your makeup loving pleasure…
- Oyster: a shimmery, frosty cool beige
- Shell: a shimmery and cool pastel pink
- Twinkle: a shimmery and cool blue-gray with flecks of big gray glitter
- Eclipse: a cool black with burgundy glitter
Oyster packs a ton of beige shimmer and reminds me of MAC Shroom eyeshadow; Shell, on the other hand, looks almost matte and looks great on the lid and in the crease.
I thought Oyster and Shell were the easiest ones from the quad to work with. They’re finely milled, highly pigmented and, consequently, easy to apply and blend.
I had some trubs, though, with the two darker shades, Twinkle and Eclipse…
Because of my skin tone and how sheer Twinkle is (the dark gray), it required several layers to stand out.
It’s grainier and chalkier than Oyster and Shell are, making it difficult to blend, and I see myself using it strictly as a liner.
Eclipse, a black with red sparkle, looks unlike any eyeshadow I’ve ever seen before, which is awesome, right? — only problem is that it suffers from the same issues also that bug Twinkle, so it, too, may end up regulated to strict liner-only duty, which is where I think it might work well because when it’s applied with a wet brush head the red gives it a lot of dimension.
The colors in this quad didn’t bring a lot of striking ideas to mind, but I can imagine using them separately with other products. I think that’s what saves them in the end. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B
Winter Reflections All-Over Color ($35, limited edition)
A shimmery highlighting powder with pink, peach and silver pearl. Just two layers gave my cheeks a pastel pink tint with a peach and silver glow.
I swept a MAC 187 Duo Fiber Brush over the pearls and then applied the color directly to my cheeks.
I’d wear this to work or to casual events but probably wouldn’t use it to photo-intensive functions like weddings because of the shimmer — we’re talking *intense* shimmer. When I took this face of the day pic with the flash, the glare reflecting off of the powder on my cheeks made my skin look greasy and my pores look huge.
Still, I have to say it’s a pretty highlighter; just apply sparingly because a little goes a loooong way. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B+
Colorscope Lip Gloss in Twinkling ($17.50, limited edition)
This shimmery light peach with golden glitter gloss surprised me. I thought it might look milky on my lips, but it didn’t. One layer delivered a simple, nude lip with a hint of sparkle.
With a thick, non-stick texture, the Colorscope glosses feel a lot like Stila Lip Glazes but are much more moisturizing (no dry or peeling flakes, huzzah!).
I think it’s a natural-looking lip, sure to look fab with smokey eyes. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A
I gotta say… I like these Aglow products individually, but I kinda wish they worked together a little better than they do. It’s about teamwork!
That said, I think I’ll still get plenty of use out of them on their own. Just gotta think a little harder than I’m used to, LOL!
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
I want to thank you for posting such great photos of products. Your photos are so great that I know exactly what something looks like without having to go swatch it at the store 🙂 thank you for taking the time to do that and for having my favorite blog and number 1 website i check in the mornings while eating my scrambled eggs 🙂
Hi Megan,
You’re welcome! I am glad to hear that the pics help you out!
BTW, I like scrambled eggs in the morning, too. 🙂
Have a good week!
Karen,
I love your photo. You look AGLOW! I will definitely check out the all over color (I LOVE SHIMMER!) and the lip gloss. Thanks again for the wonderful and honest reviews.
Hi Ammura,
I love shimmer, too! OoOoO… the Alll Over Powder is really pretty in person. Be prepared to go, “Wow!”
I think you’ll love it. Just use a light touch and a brush like the Mac 187 and you’ll be glowing!
Very pretty combo! Speaking of Prescriptives, have you ever tried one of their custom made lipglosses?
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You look very pretty Karen!!
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I too love how clear your photos are and that you try it on yourself as well to give us an idea of what we could be expecting.
This aglow set though is too glowy for me.
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Hi Marisol,
Thanks! I haven’t tried one of the their custom glosses. Have you?
Hi Katee,
Aww, thanks girlie!
Hi Lee,
Thanks! 🙂
Yeah, the powder is pretty glowy, that’s for sure.
Hmmmm. When I saw your first pic of the palete, I was all excited, but… if they don’t apply well, then meh. Especially if the maroon one is practically black. Oh well! At least it looks lovely on you! 😀
Did you like the Colourscope Glosses? I think Px makes great, non sticky glosses.
Hi Mariah,
🙂 Thanks girl! I hope you’re having a good Tuesday so far.
Hi Cloudburst,
I do. I like how they have staying powder, but don’t dry out the lips. I think a coral or pink shade is in my future.
Speaking of non-sticky glosses, have you tried the Aveda ones?
thanks for the info. I love eclipse in the pan. Too bad it doesn’t show up that color, and it hard to work with. 🙁
I love the lipgloss-pretty! and I also think this is a good causal but festive look, maybe a work holiday lunch or something.
Man…every time I want to try a new Prescriptives item, I notice it gets so-so reviews on a variety of beauty blogs. I used to love their stuff but stopped buying it years ago. I don’t feel there is anything unique about their products. Bummed about the e/s quad not being more workable. It looks very pretty.
Hi Amanda,
Oh totally! It’s so pretty, natural and effortless, but at the same time you can tell there’s something there.
Hi Shefali,
Yeah, I was pretty bummed about it, too.
The gloss, though, totally made up for it.