Expensive makeup does not always mean better performance. Although, I often find drugstore makeup does not measure up to my expectations either. But you can surprisingly find a hit or two in unexpected places. And on that note I found some of my favorite makeup at a clothing retailer.
I was shopping for clothes in And Other Stories when I spied their cosmetics counter. Always one for experimenting with free makeup I was tempted to try some of their shadows and brushes and I am so glad I did. The first thing I tried was their angled brow brush which I used to line my eyes with powder. I tried it with their black matte shadow and I was quite impressed. I struggle with liner. Liquid liner is just a no go for me.
But it is all too noticeable with liquid liner. I get a bumpy line that not only ages me, but also looks pretty busted
I have thin Irish-English skin which means it can be creapy. Without liner on, you can not see this aspect to my skin. But it is all too noticeable with liquid liner. I get a bumpy line that not only ages me, but also looks pretty busted. Not a good look. Pencil liner is better, but it doesn’t last. Most of it wears off within a few hours, and I have tried dozens.
So it seems the powder method works best for me, and with And Other Stories super fine sharp brush and lush matte black color I can achieve the line I want and it will not wear off. And in fact, I liked the brush and shadow so much I returned and bought two more colors and two more brushes.
Both are affordable at $11.00 and $12.00, and work better then some more expensive brands. The colors blend well and have a silky matte finish—perfect for day to night looks. The taupe tones are exactly what I have been looking for, and can be surprisingly hard to find. Though they do not stop there, and there are dozens of colors and finishes. Trust me you will love these shadows and brushes.
Now for the misses, like I stated, I struggle with drugstore makeup and find that it just does not perform the way I would like. And mascara is certainly one of the toughest things to buy in a drugstore, or at least for me. I find that is either way too clumpy, or it is too light—and I do not get much of an effect.
Clumping lashes is a major pet peeve of mine and I am quite picky when it comes to mascara. Neither of these mascaras’s were super clumpy, but they were not as defining as I would have liked, and neither of them meet my repurchase requirements. Both of them went on too light and in the case of Revolon’s Dramatic Definition there was also fall out. Ugh. Not for me.
And the Edward Bess shadow was the biggest surprise of all.I purchased this set when I was traveling in Paris and it was not cheap. It cost $69.00 euroes which is about $73.00 in the States. Although I liked the colors and they were what I was looking for—a trio of matte taupe-toned shades, this set now sits in the bottom of my makeup bag. The biggest issue with this shadow is that it is like using talcum powder. It had zero staying power and would be completely gone with in three hours or so. Very surprising and disappointing.
I love this idea—you purchase the case and then you can choose which colors you want
I replaced these shadows with MAC’s mix and match colors. I love this idea—you purchase the case and then you can choose which colors you want. It is not expensive and a quad is about $25.00. The MAC shadow lasts significantly longer then the Edward Bess shadow, but I have found MAC shadows a bit difficult to blend. It could be that I have deep set eyes and thin skin, not sure. Have any of you ever noticed this?
But I do love the colors, and the option to mix it up and choose your own colors and it is affordable so I would recommend this, especially if you have heavier skin and more shallow set eyes.
Finally on Friday night after work I popped in to Macy’s and picked up Urban Decay’s Perversion mascara. It went on very well, even over the mascara I was already wearing so I am hoping this is going to be a keeper. I have not had a chance to use it yet, so I will be sure to keep you posted…
7 comments
I hate the misses especially when you have high hope to use. Have a great day.
Ahh I want to check out the Urban Decay mascara now! The Edward Bess eyeshadow sounds so disappointing and I’ll certainly stay away!
I know what you mean about drugstore makeup. I struggle with it as well but mascara is one of the few products I’ve had some success with. I’m still loving the Maybelline The Colossal Big Shot Express Mascara I reviewed recently. Have you tried any of the L’oreal range? I feel like they perform a little more like high end mascaras. Depending on whether you’re looking for length or volume, the Telescopic and Voluminous ones are both pretty good and not clumpy. I haven’t actually opened the Missha one you asked me about last week yet.
Great post dear, thanks for sharing! <3 – http://www.domesticgeekgirl.com
I agree, expensive does not always mean the best, although I seldom use drugstore brands but I have bought more in the last year from a few blogger reviews. I don’t use MAC all the time but the eye shadows that I have are blendable but they are also all neutral or golden hues in single pots so I haven’t had any issues. I hope that you have a great start to the week. <3 /Madison
FASHION TALES
I haven’t tried makeup from And Other Stories, but now, I’m intrigued 🙂
I have zero luck with Revon mascaras, they are horrible on my lashes! And I do hope you’ll end up loving Urban Decay Perversion, it’s actually one of my favourites.