Heavy Metal Heartthrob

Reviewed by the Savvy Suavinista

Happy 2017!!

New year, new trends. One of my beauty resolutions this year is to experiment with some fun looks that I haven’t tried before. In 2016, matte was all the rage. Matte eyeshadow, matte lips, matte everything! This year we can expect to see more luminous, shimmery, and even glossy finishes from new products and popular styles.

More importantly, metallics are on the rise as one of the hottest trends this year. Metallic lipsticks and eyeshadows have been gaining popularity over the past few months, and metallic fashion is all over the runways and red carpets. What I appreciate about metallics is that they create a look that is both feminine and strong. Many metallic looks take inspiration from medieval armor, so if you like feeling edgy and also love pretty shiny things, this trend is for you!

That doesn’t mean that mattes don’t still deserve their seat at the table. Matte face powders and lipsticks will last you through the night, and matte foundations can be a lifesaver for our oily skin friends. Mattes are also necessary to have in combination with an otherwise shimmery look. To prevent a metallic style from making you feel like a glitter bomb, try to keep the rest of your makeup simple. A metallic lip with a metallic eyeshadow is still food for a full-glam or evening look, just try to stick with blush and cheek colors that keep the shimmer to a minimum.

There is also a lot more to metallics than just golds and silvers. Metals come in every shade of the rainbow. I especially love the way they look in pinks and purples. The color theme I’ve selected is inspired by rose gold jewelry and accessories. I’ve reviewed some precious metallic products that will help you rock Valentine’s Day in style, whether you’re chilling with friends or primping for date night. Keeping with my budget friendly philosophy, everything listed here is under $10. Fellas should also take note if you’re looking for a gift that’s sure to impress the ladies in your life!

Hard Candy Metallic Mousse Lip Color in Truffle- $6 for 0.23 oz. Available at- Walmart.

Review-

Brand: Hard Candy is a throwback to my earlier days of getting into mid-range makeup brands. When we first got a Sephora in our town during high school, I was getting into brands like Urban Decay and Hard Candy. Hard Candy was more affordable, but still had that rock and roll image and bright colors that I associated with brands like Urban Decay. Today, Hard Candy is a Walmart exclusive brand. This brand is also cruelty free, meaning they do not test their products on animals. Their Glamoflauge Heavy Duty concealer is a cult favorite, and they also have a line of matte liquid lipsticks. I was curious to try their metallic liquid lipsticks because there aren’t many options for this kind of product in the drugstore range.

Packaging: The product is packaged inside of a pink metallic tin that has a raised pattern on top that resembles a snakeskin or lace pattern. The inner lid is completely mirrored which is always a nice bonus for any packaging. This tin is great for travel or display and could be used for multiple purposes. However, there is a black felt mold holding the lipstick inside that makes it overly difficult to remove the product. I recommend carefully prying the lipstick out, and removing this black insert altogether. The bottle itself is very thin, flat and wide with a gunmetal gray chrome lid and clear acrylic base. The lettering on the bottle is also in a mirrored metallic silver font.

Color: Not quite a rose gold, Truffle is a pinky-purple shade with brown and bronze tones. The color can vary depending on skin tone and how it is applied. If you have fair skin, it can show up as a darker shade. When applied in thin coats it can appear more natural and flattering. On darker skin tones it shows up as a truer pink/purple. It gives a soft, smoky feel and is more on the neutral or cool toned side. I actually found this to be a close dupe for my Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lip Duo in Pepper (a mauve shade) and Bronze worn together. Bite Beauty is a luxury lipstick brand, so being able to recreate a look like that for $6 is quite the steal.

Finish: This lip color is described as a matte metallic. It has a fine shimmer but doesn’t look glossy or like it has chunky glitter. I found this metallic finish flattering and subtle. It doesn’t give off a very high shine, but when you turn it catches the light nicely. Thankfully, this finish doesn’t go into the 90’s frosted lip territory that most of us hope to avoid when wearing a metallic lip.

Wear: The formula is very comfortable and moisturizing. It isn’t very sticky but also didn’t really dry down completely. This lipstick doesn’t seem to be very long lasting or transfer proof. It can actually rub off if you’re not careful. When it does wear off, it still leaves a nice sheer lip stain and shimmer.

L’Oreal Paris Infallible 24 HR Eyeshadow in Amber Rush-$9 for 0.12 oz.

Available at-Walmart, Target, Ulta, Lorealparisusa.com

Review-

Brand: L’oreal is a major staple in the drugstore beauty world. Many of their products are well reviewed and beloved, especially their foundations. Their Infallible line in particular offers some real gems. Their Infallible eyeshadows are another cult favorite beauty product, especially in the shade Amber Rush. Brands like L’oreal sometimes claim that they do not take part in animal testing, which may be true in the United States. Since L’oreal also sells in China, where animal testing is required, they cannot claim to be a cruelty free brand. They are also a parent company that has bought many other popular beauty brands, which in turn means that those brands are also not cruelty free. I personally don’t exclusively buy from cruelty free brands, but want to include this information for those who are interested. Overall, L’oreal offers a steady consistency of some of the highest quality products on drugstore shelves.

Packaging: This packaging is in a small disk shape that is double sided. One side is clear acrylic with squared edges and a mirrored metallic silver ring with the brand name. Inside that ring is a window that showcases the shadow inside. I appreciate when effort is put into packaging, and I find clear acrylic and mirrored metallic details to be a nice touch. When flipped over, the other side has a matte silver ring and a sticker in a mauve shade that says the shade name and product information. This is the side that you screw off to get to the product. There’s a small removable lid on the inside with a handle, which you can choose to remove or keep it to preserve the shadow and packaging.

Color: This color came closer to the rose gold shade that I was hoping for. It is a pink gold with orange and earthy tones. This shade is so popular because it is a natural color that is flattering for many skin shades. It gives somewhat of a bronzed effect, which works very well on skin with warm or yellow undertones. This shade might be too warm for those with cool undertones. On fairer skin, the peachy pink tones show up a bit deeper. On deeper skin tones the shade appears more like a natural nude. This could also work well on the cheeks or lips as a multipurpose item. The color is highly pigmented and can be built up for effect.

Finish: The shimmer is fine and gives a good metallic shine, which can be built up for a more dramatic effect.

Wear: This shadow is velvety smooth to the touch and glides on with ease. It’s sort of a mixture between a cream shadow and powder. It goes on like a cream, but dries down and doesn’t crease. This is so easy to use because you can just apply it all over your eyelid with your finger. I have tried it with my finger and with a brush and didn’t see much difference. It barely requires any blending. I find this formula works best when worn alone as a wash of color over the lid. I usually apply different powder shadows in the crease and on the lid of my eye to give more dimension, but noticed that when trying to do that on top of the Infallible eyeshadows it can blend together and doesn’t give that same definition. I think metallic eyeshadows give enough dimension with their shine to be worn alone. This is also really handy for a quick minimal makeup look. The eyeshadow is long lasting and won’t slide off like some cream products.

Essie Nail Polish in Penny Talk– $9 for 0.46 oz.

Availiable at-Walgreens, Target, Ulta, Essie.com

Review-

Brand: Essie is a popular drugstore nail polish brand. I haven’t used their polishes much before, and have recently heard mixed reviews saying their polishes can be too thin or sheer. I wanted to try it for myself, and this shade in particular is one of the most popular options for a rose gold nail look. Essie was bought out by L’oreal so they are not a cruelty free brand.

Packaging: The polish is in the classic Essie simple square bottle with a white rounded lid. The Essie logo is etched into the side of the glass.

Color: This color is a part of Essie’s Limited Edition Mirrored Metallics Nail Polish Collection. The shade is a true rose gold. Looks can be deceiving: in the bottle the polish can appear to be more of a copper, and with a name like Penny Talk it can certainly give that impression. I applied this at night, and when it was still wet in low light, it did give off a more brassy tone. The next day when it was dried and in daylight, the pink hues really shone through. There seems to be some yellow tone to the color as well, but so does real rose gold. My lovely model Ebone loved it so much she painted it on her daughter’s nails as well, which was adorable!

Finish: This polish is a true metallic. It gives a high shine and the shade shifts in different lighting, which gives a dynamic, duo effect.

Wear: As I’ve heard, this nail polish has a thinner consistency. However, it was opaque enough to wear with one coat. I liked that it was thin to apply as opposed to thick or gloopy. This also meant that it dried pretty quickly, which I love. Who has time to wait for their nails to dry? Metallic nail polishes can tend to be streaky though, so you have to put some extra effort in to make sure it applies evenly. Unfortunately, this chipped off after a couple of days even though I wore it with a top coat.

Thank you for reading! What trends are you looking forward to this year? Is there anything you’d like me to write about next?

XO, the Savvy Suavinista