Majolica Majorca Eyeshadow swatches -- singles and new quads

Japanese drugstore brands can come and go in the blink of an eye and Majolica Majorca (launched in 2003 by Shiseido) ranks as a veteran by now. Although it was one of my gateways into Japanese makeup, and their Lash Expander Frame Plus mascara remains a staple, its competitors Lavshuca and KATE (from Kanebo) and Visee (from Kose) have since supplanted it in my affections.

Swatching some of the newer releases, I was struck by how improved the eyeshadow formula was -- in terms of pigment and buttery feel, not far off the best textures from other drugstore lines, like KATE Dual Blend Eyes, Lavshuca Melting Eyes or Visee Glam Nude Eyes.

All swatches patted on with a fingertip.

BR793 and GR791, two permanent quads originally released in Autumn 2010. These are nominally in the Jewelling Eyes series, but are completely different (richer and more pigmented) from the rest of that range, as well as featuring more interesting colour combos. HK$138 for 4g.

artificial light

artificial light + flash

Unusually for a Japanese drugstore brand, MM also continues to make singles -- Eye Shadow Customize, retailing for HK$52 each. While certain cult shades like SV821 (supposedly a 'dupe' for Shu ME Silver 785, though I didn't find them too similar) have been discontinued, there are still some gorgeous neutrals to be getting on with.

artificial light

artificial light + flash

WT920 is pinker and has a less intense frosty/metallic finish than WT963
BE286 a delicate neutral rose gold
GD822 extremely buttery warm old gold
BR665 olive bronze with gold shimmer
BR784 cool yellow-based brown
BK922 gunmetal satin base with iridescent grey, blue and silver shimmer

A bit of fun (and absolutely no originality)

A friend wrote that it was a pity Addiction Revenge powder blush wasn't as multipurpose as the cheekstick, as she preferred its pink tinge. So I present: Revenge powder blush as eyeshadow!

The entire look was shamelessly -- shamelessly -- lifted wholesale from Lisa Eldridge's latest video.

All pics in artificial light without flash because I expected it to be hideous but it ended up being surprisingly bloggable. Sorry for the weird angles -- I was circling my brightest lightbulb like a particularly vapid moth.

Still, the front view shows it's never going to be the most flattering look on my asymmetrical eyes. Unless you lovely readers should have some advice...?

Products:
Addiction Revenge powder blush on eyes and (very lightly) on cheeks
KATE gel liner BK-1
Helena Rubinstein Lash Queen Fatal Blacks Waterproof mascara
Lips are a mix of Guerlain Rouge G Girly and Sonia Rykiel Sublime 02
Lunasol Undereye concealer 00
Nars Sheer Glow Siberia (man, this is yellow. I always forget that.)

Sonia Rykiel Sublime Lipstick swatches part 2

Click to Part 1 for requisite drivel, now straight on to the swatches!

Shade descriptions: as before, shimmery shades are marked with an asterisk. This usually just means that the shade is not completely shimmer-free -- the effect on the lips is dimensional, and the micro-glitter particles are not visible once applied, except in extremely bright direct light.
In this batch there were however a few extremely shimmery frosts, which are double-asterixed.

All shades are two swipes each unless otherwise indicated.

natural light

bright store lighting

21** warm brown rose (3 swipes)
22* bright coral

23** brown with pink and red shimmer (3 swipes)

24 cool mauve rose

25* VERY sheer candy pink glaze with silver shimmer (7! swipes)

26* VERY sheer milky lavender glaze with iridescent shimmer (also 7 swipes)

27* cool bright fuchsia

28* soft pinky peach

30 cool tangerine

31 warm salmon

natural light

bright store lighting

32 warm orange coral, warmer and brighter than 31

33* peachy pink

34 soft peachy beige

35 bright pinky coral pinker than 31 but softer and more orange than 22

36 soft peachy rose

37 ditto, brighter and warmer than 36

38* bright peachy pink with more peach and 'pop' than 33

39* soft mauve rose more muted than 24 

Addiction by Ayako blush swatches and another simple FOTD

Apologies for being all "ooh, shiny eyeshadows" and neglecting to swatch the three blushes that also formed part of my Addiction haul. Those who frequent MUA will know I am head-over-heels in love with these and have been wearing them almost exclusively for the last three weeks.

I reviewed the cheek stick earlier, and those giddy these-are-like-soooo-awesome rantings still hold true. In the interests of Beauty Science and fitting into-my-jeans-again, I have recently been going up to seven whole hours at a time between meals, and can now report that both shades wear indelibly with no fading or movement for at least that long. The silicone content has a very flattering plumping effect on my vertical lip-lines, and I do not need to layer balm on top as I do with Beauté stains or Becca Beach Tints after a while.

The powder blush is the smoothest, creamiest matte texture I've ever encountered, far superior to Shu Uemura, Nars, Illamasqua, MUFE, etc. It feels like a Burberry or Rouge Bunny Rouge, but is much more pigmented than the former, and less sheeny than the latter (it seems easier to create buttery-feeling powders with the addition of some shimmer). Despite the bold pigment, the powder is also extremely blendable and looks smooth even on my dry cheeks, with no patchy fading or dryness even after 14 hours of wear.

Swatches

Amazing cheekstick blended and unblended (one swipe)
Revenge cheekstick blended and unblended (one swipe)
Revenge powder blush applied with brush (two layers) and sponge applicator (one swipe)

natural light, direct sun

Sorry for reiterating the one-swipiness but hey check out that pigment in just one swipe! You can of course sheer these out much further, but I a) don't trust my camera to pick up subtlety and b) am of the go bold or go home bordello school of blush application anyway.

You may have noticed that Revenge powder is slightly brighter and pinker than its namesake cheekstick. This subtle yet exquisite nuance was of course the reason I bought both. It was a highly considered decision which had nothing to do with an inability to resist red blush.

As far as I can remember, the only other shimmer-free shades in the range are Good Girl and Amazing powders, and Rose Bar and Suspicious cheeksticks; all four of those are currently at the top of my makeup wishlist / letter to Santa. Dear Ayako, more please!

FOTD

Another simple look built around a cheekstick, this time Amazing rather than Revenge, on both lips and cheeks.

Other products:
Shu Uemura Stage Performer Instant Glow
Chantecaille Total Concealer Alabaster under eyes
Kevyn Aucoin SSE SX01 on blemishes
Suqqu EX-05 Usumomokurumi -- pale pink and grey shades only
Majolica Majorca LEFP
KATE brow powder BK-05