Thursday, 24 March 2011

Black Shimmer Shadows - Pink, Purple, Rainbow & Random

Part three of the Black Shimmer Shadows posts. Here are the pinks, purples, rainbow shimmers & a random one that didn't seem to fit anywhere else!


My Dark Magic - MAC

A split duo mineralise that came out with the Disney Villains collection, comprising a pink & a purple side.
My Dark Magic has smaller shimmers than the Style Black mineralise shadows, but they're still very vivid. The black base isn't quite as dark as with the Style Black shadows either. To get the full effect, these are best used wet. When used dry, the shimmer is more subtle & the base less full-on black.

Young Punk - MAC

The pinky-purple shade from Style Black. Serious shimmer & glitter with this one. More purple-tinged than My Dark Magic, but not a true purple.
Definitely another to be used wet for full effect.









Graphic Garden - MAC

From the Graphic Garden palette. As with most of MAC's velvet shadows, the shimmers here don't show up very well when used dry & are easily blended away. This has a nice, deep black base.
The more subtle shimmers make for a good liner when used wet.




Top Knot - MAC

Yet another velvet finish. To be honest, this isn't very different from Graphic Garden. Although the picture hasn't picked up the shimmers so well, they're more or less the same shade as Graphic Garden's.





Later Pigment - MAC

A limited edition that initially came out with the Alice & Olivia collection & again with A Tartan Tale.
Stunning black base with purple shimmer. Used dry, it's more of a black with a pretty purple twinkle. Used wet, the purple absolutely pops.
Another good choice to use as a liner.






My Dark Magic - pink, Young Punk, Graphic Garden, Top Knot, Later

I used these with a slightly damp brush. Graphic Garden looks less shimmery & deeper black because the brush was drier when I swatched this one.


My Dark Magic - pink, Young Punk, Graphic Garden, Top Knot, Later - outside, no flash

After I'd taken these I realised I'd forgotten to add a swatch of the purple side of My Dark Magic. I went back & did a swatch of that one but added on the pink side & Young Punk too, swatching all three shades both wet & dry to illustrate how they look when used both ways.

Young Punk dry & wet, My Dark Magic - pink dry & wet, My Dark Magic - purple dry & wet - inside with flash


Young Punk dry & wet, My Dark Magic - pink dry & wet, My Dark Magic - purple dry & wet - outside no flash

For each shade, the left swatch is the dry one & the right is the wet swatch. My Dark Magic's purple side looks quite blue-toned in the picture using the flash. The picture taken outside is more accurate, it's definitely more violet toned.
Young Punk has the smoother texture, even though it has the larger shimmers. It's also a more solid base than My Dark Magic.


Rainbow & Random



Metallic Black - Shu Uemura

I'm not one hundred percent on the number accompanying this one, it could be the ME 990. I depotted it some time back (I've had it a while, hence the less than pristine appearance) & forgot to note the shade number down, like an idiot.
Although it does look like a subdued black in the pan, it's more of a blackened taupe shade. Still very pretty, but not a true black. It does have 
great pigmentation & a super-smooth texture that blends well.

Starry Night Grande Lumiere - Ben Nye

Not really a black, although it does look darker in the pan. The picture shows the shade that comes across once applied. I'd say this is a metallic gunmental with rainbow glitter.
Nice, smooth texture with decent pigmentation that both applies and blends well. The Ben Nye shadows are great value, you get a huge pan without breaking the bank.

Smashing Envy - Smashbox

A true black base with rainbow micro-shimmers, Smashing Envy puts me in mind of Urban Decay's Oil Slick before it was reformulated & became a black with silver shimmer.
Used wet, the shimmers really pop here but without being OTT. Would make a really pretty liner.



Stella Chromalust - Sugarpill

Absolutely beautiful deep black base with rainbow shimmers that pop when used either wet or dry.
Excellent pigmentation, good, blendable texture & you don't lose the glitters. I can't rave about this black shimmer enough, it's one of, if not my top black shimmery shadows.





ME Black, Starry Night, Smashing Envy, Stella - inside with flash

ME Black, Starry Night, Smashing Envy, Stella - outside, no flash

The rainbow shimmers in Stella just don't pop in the photos, when you look at the jar in reality, it's packed full of sparkly goodness. Starry Night has lost some of the glitter flecks but it's not overly packed with them in the pan, it's more of a smattering of glitter.











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