Review & Comparison: Jordana 12 HR Made to Last Eyeshadow Pencil (Continuous Almond)

The Jordana 12 Hour Made to Last Eyeshadow Pencil in Continuous Almond is a new purchase and I wanted to share with you the uses of this product as well as my opinions on the quality compared to similar products on the market. You get a nice amount of product, and this only cost me $3.99 at my local Duane Reade.

You can see in the swatch that the color is just slightly lighter than my natural skin tone and it has a nice amount of coverage even on the first pass (bottom swatch), but can be built nicely and does not ball up or become separated. The pencil does need to be sharpened, this isn't a twist-up mechanical pencil.

From left to right: L'Oreal Silkissme (Highlighter), Jordana E/S Pencil (Pink Evermore), Milani Shadow Eyez (Sand Dunes), Jordana E/S Pencil (Eternal White), Jordana E/S Pencil (Continuous Almond), Chella Ivory Lace Highlighter, Rimmel Scandaleyes (Nude)

I went through my collection of eyeliners and found the ones that are most comparable to the Jordana 12 HR Made to Last Eyeshadow Pencil in Continuous Almond. The closest dupe I found was the Rimmel Scandaleyes in Nude, but this is a thinner pencil and would be more difficult to apply all over the lid, I also think it has more sheer coverage.

I also wanted to compare Continuous Almond to others in the Jordana 12 HR Made to Last Eyeshadow Pencil range, namely Pink Evermore and Eternal White.

Swatch comparisons for the Jordana Eyeshadow Pencil in Continuous Almond

You can see from the swatches that Jordana E/S Pencil in Continuous Almond and the Chella Ivory Lace Highlighter are the smoothest, most full coverage of the pencils (Chella's pencil has a more brightening effect, however and seems to have line-filling properties).

The Jordana E/S Pencil in Eternal White is patchy and cannot be layered as nicely as the Continuous Almond shade, I often use this as a base but struggle to get an even application. The Jordana E/S Pencil in Pink Evermore is the same formula but it has shimmer so it gives off a different finish. You can see that the Milani Shadow Eyez in Sand Dunes is a golden glittery version of Continuous Almond.

L'Oreal Silkissime in Highlighter is by far the hardest textured pencil of the bunch, it applies the least creamy but has a long staying power, it literally has to be rubbed off or else residue remains (I experienced this with my swatch).

Overall, I highly recommend the Jordana 12 HR Made to Last Eyeshadow Pencil in Continuous Almond, it has better staying power than the Milani Shadow Eyez, better coverage than the Rimmel Scandaleyes pencil and is a smoother application than all of the other comparisons. This pencil could work well as an all-over nude shade or as a base for eyeshadows (this will probably be my primary use for this shade).

Lorac Pro Palette - Eyes of the Day

The Lorac Pro Palette has long been a cult favorite and beauty bloggers/vloggers rave about it day in and out. This is for good reason, the palette features 16 different shades in 2 finishes - half of the shades are a shimmery pearl finish and the rest are matte finish. You can get so many different neutral looks from this palette, it's definitely a no-brainer for a working girl on the go.

Here's a look at what I used to achieve this mauve-garnet eye look. I tend to be inspired more by the darker colors of the palette which remind me of autumn leaves (they're not so offensively dark that they can't be worn during the day).

• Eyelids primed with 70 Barely Branded Maybelline Color Tattoo (part of permanent Metal collection)
• Browbone highlight is the matte Cream shade
• Mauve applied all over crease in sweeping motion
• Deep Purple applied all over lid
• Inner corner accentuated with Gold to draw the light in and make eye appear bigger
• Middle 1/3rd of the eyelid warmed up with Garnet and blended out

• liquid eyeliner applied to moving part of the eyelid and flicked out into a small wing - Kat Von D saint eye liner in Trooper
• Inner 1/3rd of waterline highlighted with Chella Ivory Lace Highlighter
• Urban Decay 24/7 Eye Pencil in Empire used on outer 2/3rd's of waterline
• Eyebrows filled in with elf Eyebrow Kit in medium
• Mascara applied: Tarte Lights Camera Flashes

Product Review & Look: Chella Eyeliner Pen in Indigo Blue

Today's look was inspired by the Chella Eyeliner Pen in Indigo Blue, which I received in March's IPSY Glam Bag! Initially, I received a sample that was dried out and I contacted Chella's customer support, they were *extremely* helpful and immediately sent me a replacement (I didn't even ask for one). I was so thrilled when it came in the mail 2 days later (wow, so fast, right?!). It's a beautiful, sponge-tip applicator eyeliner pen in a vibrant and very wearable blue shade. Best of all, the color glides on like a dream, it's water-resistant, smudge proof, quick drying, paraben and NANO-free! This is definitely my new go-to colored eyeliner: I much prefer the pen-tip application over a brush, I think you have much more control.You can just lay it down flush against your eyelashes and drag it along, letting the pen applicator do the work for you of creating a straight line.

This look started out as a simple way to showcase the eyeliner, but I just couldn't stop myself, it was so beautiful, I wanted to accentuate it with contrasting and complementary colors (so maybe this turned out a little bit Arabian Nights-esque, is anyone else's favorite Disney princess Jasmine?).

• Urban Decay's Sin all over the moving part of the eyelid 
• Urban Decay's Zephyr as the browbone highlight 
• (these colors were taken from the Urban Decay Book of Shadows IV - the original, not the redux). Feel free to use any similar shades, I know there are many dupes in the Wet 'n Wild Color Icon trios.  

• MAC's Brown Script in the crease applied in a sweeping motion, making sure to blend it out 
• Urban Decay's Freelove on top of that to warm up the crease and transition into browbone color 

• Chella Eyeliner Pen in Indigo Blue to line the eyes
• Annabella pigment in Solar mixed with water to line uppermost part of the Chella eyeliner
• Line outer 2/3rd's of bottom lash line with Urban Decay 24/7 Shadow Pencil in Rehab (bronze-brown)\
• Line inner 1/3rd of bottom lash line with Pixi Catching Shadows Crayon in Beaming Reflection (golden nude)
• Jordana Best Lash Extreme Volumizing Mascara in Black applied to upper lashes - I would avoid the lower lashes as this will take away from the drama of the upper lash line with your beautiful blue eyeliner!

 I hope you guys like the look and please let me know if any of you have tried something similar before!

PS. I don't know what I like better, the Chella Eyeliner Pen in Indigo Blue or Chella's customer support! They're definitely both awesome and you should give their products a try.

IPSY Unboxing - March 2014

It's that time of the month again! It's IPSY unbagging time! The theme for this month was "Destination Beauty" and I can't say I was disappointed with the items! Watch my video unboxing below:

My bag contained:
1. bareMinerals - Marvelous Moxie lipstick - Get Ready - small deluxe sample - value $7.50
2. Chella - Eyeliner pen - Indigo blue - full size - value $24.00
3. Pixi - Flawless beauty primer - value $9.00
4. NYX - Love in Rio eyeshadow trio - Moonlit skinny dip - full size - value $6.00

I paid $10 for this bag with shipping included in that price and the total value of my bag was $46.50

To join IPSY - http://www.ipsy.com/r/1lfc
To join BIRCHBOX - https://www.birchbox.com/invite/jmzfg

To join Glossybox - http://www.glossybox.com/subscribe