***This post features samples sent for review; as always my opinions are entirely my own and stated in full.***
For autumn/winter 2013 DDP's Scissor Sister Collection is headlined by an oh-so-now Twiggy-inspired promo, but contains some very solid products which can be used to create a wide variety of aseasonal (dare I say timeless?) looks. You can see some of my dabblings here :)
I was sent three products to test from the new collection: Smooth Eyeshadowno. 165 Storm Violet, Creamy Blush60 Glow Baby Pink, and Liquid Lipstick104 Cyclamen.
Minimal packaging in black&white, again very MAC. The boxes are hefty cardboard:
The cases are matte black plastic -- both more solid and sleeker feeling than MAC's:
I particularly like the way the hinge and release wrap sleekly around the compacts. These are easy to open, and close securely with a snap, by the way, no manicure-destroying Sleek struggles here.
Aaanyway, onto the products themselves!
Swatches
Three on the right are all ONE SWIPE onto a bare arm *_* leftmost is the blush blended out:
We're talking what-you-see-is-what-you-get PIGMENT, people! Witness the Smooth Eyeshadow165 Storm Violet pan (okay this is just an excuse for sexy complex sparkly purple shot):
Matter of semantics, but to me, this Smooth Eyeshadow formula is a very smooth silky powder, feeling like a pressed pigment (think Armani Eyes to Kill Intense, L'Oreal Infallibles or Estée Lauder Cybers) rather than a drier cream like those from THREE or Shu Uemura. While its complex, glitter-packed nature means that swatches often throw up some fallout, I've experienced no issues during actual application/wear on the eyes -- obviously pressing on the pigment helps, but adherence over bare skin (no primers) stays excellent through all day/night. It can be used wet or dry, but as pigmentation is already so intense dry (as in my swatch), I see no need to foil.
But that pretty much goes for all the menny menny glittery shades I love and own. Where Storm Violet stands out is in its tone, a gorgeous true jewelled purple, which makes most of my other options pull grey or blue, emphasising their pastel or dusty facets.
e.g. with Rouge Bunny Rouge Delicate Hummingbird, Chanel Illusoire, Fyrinnae Sequinned Master, Shu Uemura G 745, THREE 04 Art of Parties purple glitter
Storm Violet even holds its true, glittery own against some of my not-inconsiderable stash of Fyrinnae purples: (L to R) Mystical Hedgehog, Parental Advisory, Cuddlefish, Meerkat, Sequinned Master, When I Grow Up.
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| bright artificial light, sorry! |
The creamy blush is another beauty -- properly a cream and not a powdery abomination masquerading as such (Chanel and YSL, I'm looking at you), but with a silky matte finish and less greasy slip than Illamasqua or Becca creams that's likely to appeal even to dew-haters. It does have a very faint, fruity-sweet scent, however, so those with very sensitive noses beware.
60 Glow Baby Pink is a light (paler once you 'break' the surface) yellow-based pastel peachy-pink which warms up as it's blended out and wears as one of my beloved pop-bright pastels. In fact it's very close to but slightly brighter than the Ladurée Cream Cheek Base 102 I auditioned earlier this year for this particular blushy niche, and in a much creamier, smoother, glitter-free formula to boot :D
Like the Ladurée, which I no longer own, it runs lighter and pinker than my other light peachy-pinks, but would look more coral next to blue-pinks. Here with YSL Glossy Stain 27 Pêche Cerra-Cola, Illamasqua Rude cream blush, Chicca Flush Blush 01 Baby Doll, Becca Guava beach tint.
The creamy blush's mirrored compact also includes a brush. Which is similar to the ones that come with Shiseido satin face colour blushes (right), albeit half the size and more tightly packed with more finely tapered hairs. In the middle is one of Suqqu's grey squirrel offerings included in their blush duos -- much finer and more directional.
Liquid Lipstick in 104 Cyclamen is where my squee turns into a 'huh?'. This is the one product, only the left swatch is blotted down into a stain and the right was swept on straight from the sponge. I don't think I've ever encountered such a cool-toned shade sitting on such a warm base before, though I suppose it's true to the way cyclamen petals often shade from fuchsia/magenta to a warmer, rosier red.
Formula-wise, the liquid lipstick applies as a fully opaque, smooth cream with a tiny bit of drag (not liquifying/gel-like) and sets to a slightly glossy, somewhat tacky thick balm, which you can definitely feel on your lips for hours. It's scent/taste-free (woohoo!) and wear time is very good, thanks to the slight stickiness -- it takes about two meals and several drinks to get down to the warm (and even) stain shade, which also retains a slight sheen. On my very dry, picky lips, I'd say this is very slightly drying, but nothing a bit of lip balm underneath can't deal with.
The shade shift is so pronounced I did two sets of comparison swatches.
1. 104 Cyclamen full-on with cool berries: Illamasqua Crush cream blush, Burberry Bright Plum lip cover, YSL Glossy Stain 24 Fuchsia Intemporel, Sonia Rykiel Sublime lipstick 24.
2. 104 Cyclamen blotted down, with a selection of reds I like to wear as stains, with a rose for reference (i.e. the shift blew my mind and I grabbed tubes at random): Addiction Last Scene and Monroe Walk, Revlon Fire&Ice, Guerlain Rouge Automatiques in Liu and Chamade.
Smooth Eyeshadow Ingredients
Creamy Blush Ingredients
Liquid Lipstick Ingredients
