Saturday, April 20, 2013

A Few of my Favorite Things... Brown Shadow

Time for a few more of my favorite things!!!


It's been almost a month since I did my last installment in my Favorite Things series. I'm mixing it up from the last time I did a set of favorite shadows and including both a cream shadow and individual colors from a palette (which could be a favorite all on its own). Some of these shadows are new favorites, while others are colors I've owned and loved for years, but rest assured that all of these colors are ones I reach for several times a week.


From Left to Right: Patina, Mulch, Satin Taupe
MAC Patina - This may be my favorite MAC shadow. The camera doesn't do this one justice, folks. I was struggling for words to describe this shade, and keep coming up blank. MAC's site describes it as a "taupe brown with golden pearl" and I guess that's accurate, but it leaves out the magic of this shade. It's fairly light, much lighter than a color like Satin Taupe. It never quite looks like one color (much like actual patina) and that shift is really neat. JUST GO SWATCH IT! I promise you won't regret it. I like using this as an all-over lid color, or for a very subtle eye running a bit of this through the crease for just a touch of definition.

MAC Mulch - A red-brown with a nice sheen to it. I love this brown because it's warm without being orange - and definitely the reason I almost always reach for this over MAC's Bronze. If "red-brown" makes you cringe, I promise this doesn't come off as red on the eyes. It's a great, easy to work with crease color - I particularly love pairing this with Shroom all over the lid and brow.

MAC Satin Taupe - A cool taupe with silvery sparkle. It's a good staple cool brown to have at your disposal. And the formulation is dreamy - I wish all MAC shadows were as lovely as this one.

CoverGirl Single Eye Shadow in Tapestry Taupe: I think I've ranted and raved enough about this shadow over the past couple of months. It's a great light taupe color, and I love wearing it on my lids. I use this and Sidecar the most for lid color.

Urban Decay Naked Palette - This palette could be a favorite all on its own. It's funny, because by looks I'd think I'd like Naked 2 much more, but I find myself reaching for this much more. This was a Christmas present from CDBP, and could possibly be why it holds such a special place in my heart. However, there are 2 shades I use much more than the rest:
From Left to Right: Tapestry Taupe (CG), Sidecar, Naked
- Naked: There isn't anything special about this shade... and that's why I love it. It's a matte light brown that is perfect to run through my crease to warm it up a bit and aid in blending out other darker shadows. And it doesn't show up as orange on my skin, a huge problem I have with warm browns. I use this mostly with my 224 to warm up my crease after applying a midtone brown (like Sidecar, Tapestry Taupe, or Patina) to my lid.
- Sidecar: I like to think of this as the warm and slightly lighter version of Satin Taupe. It's cooler than other shades in the Naked Palette, but it definitely has gold sparkle to it. This shade is versatile and it's light enough to be worn on the lid for an everyday look or can be used in the crease.

Maybelline 24 Hour Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze: A cream shadow! I've honestly never understood why this is called "bronze" because it wears a lot like Satin Taupe on my skin. I guess it's more like a cooler brown with bronzey sparkle? Or maybe most of the "bronze" shades I have run orange and this doesn't. Regardless of my issues with the name, I love this color. I wear it both on its own and as a base for other shadows. I'm particularly fond of Stila's Kitten over this!

I'd love to talk about your favorite brown shadows down below - leave me a comment telling me what you reach for the most!!

XOXO Samantha

1 comment:

  1. Oh man, I'm a sucker for shimmery brown eye shadows...they're just so pretty on the eyes! One of my favorites is the Rimmel single eye shadow in Back Stage! Awesome post!

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