So you probably just read my review for LORAC's Private Affair pallete, which is a gorgeous burgundy faux-croc case housing 6 soft smokey shades. If not, go read it. We'll wait for you here. ;)
After the jump are three "looks" I did with the palette.
Eyeshadow Look 1
This was the grey-taupe shade all over the lid, the brown-taupe in the creas; the plum shade on the outer third of the lid, crease, and outer "V"; then the lightest champagne shade as highlight under the brow and around the tear duct. The lower lasline was left free of shadow.
The plum shade wasn't dark enough for me, so I went back with a dampened brush and tried again. That's what you see below. A dark plum applied wet. Huh?
PS: Thought the pic of Jennifer Lopez1 looked like she was wearing this palette in a somewhat similar way (but heavier).
I wanted to show you what the darker shadows looked like on the lid, so you can see how they lose some of their vibrancy but still are "doable". I would have preferred to have added a black or dark grey into the crease and outer corner (and add a liner!) but I wanted you to see the colors on their own.
Eyeshadow Look 2
This look was done using the dark plum on the lid with a dampened brush*. I put the brown-taupe in the crease and then the darker champagne was blended above that to the brow and also used to highlight the tearduct.
See how the color is pretty, but not what you would have expected from the palette? Also note how muddy the colors look where I blended them (outer portion of the lid and around the crease).
Eyeshadow Look 3
For this last look, I put the blackened plum with glitter on the lid, pressing it on with a damp brush.* I know, right? No glitter to be found!
The crease was the grey-taupe, and the lightest color was blended about that up to the brow and then again around the tearduct.
Notice how in these pictures you can see a bit of fall-out and also how it brings out the darkness under my eyes? I didn't cover-up afterwards on purpose, so you can see what happens. It's not pretty. ;) HOWEVER, that's not major and it happens with a lot of darker shadows, especially with those that have a bit of a plummy tone. Just do your eye makeup first, then clean up with a wipe and follow with your under-eye makeup and face makeup. No big deal.
Again, a nice look that could have used a bit of definition. To my mind, that's what the darker colors should be doing, but they just don't have the chops for it. I may use them again, but with a black or dark grey to create some dimension. I won't be using the plum shades to define any looks, only as a base color as I did in the last two looks, above.
Tell me your thoughts on this palette, will you?
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*For those not familiar with the technique, dampening your brush with water or a glycerin-water mix will usually intensify your shadow. It also gives it a smoother, nearly metallic effect some people refer to as "foiling". The point I was making here is that the colors should have been super intense using this technique. FAIL.