Sunday, June 17, 2012

Review: Milani Shadow Eyez Pencils + (A few) Vacation Pics

I know, I know. It's been far, far too long since I last posted. But, I do have a (somewhat) legitimate excuse this time: I was on vacation. I know what you're thinking, "You've been on vacation since the beginning of May?! What the crap?!". Let me break it down for you: The first week or so of May I was in Orlando, the rest of the time since then has been recovering from vacation and other random "fun" life stuff. But, we had a great time, so it all works out.

Here, I'll prove it:

Cinderella's Castle at the Magic Kingdom.

Me and the Hubs enjoying some Popsicles at Hollywood Studios.

Hogwarts at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I was in mega fangirl mode. Serious business.

Universal Studios.

All of us: The Hubs, Me, My Mother-In-Law, Bro-In-Law, and Father-In-Law.

Epcot.

See? Good times. Oh, and this is not all of the pictures I took. I took a ridiculous amount of pictures. Believe me.

Let's get on with the important stuff: REVIEW TIME!

I picked up three of the Milani Shadow Eyez Pencils just a few days before vacation. I was hoping that they would be a better alternative to my NYX Jumbo Pencils in terms of longevity, and I was not disappointed.




I did a before and after shot of the swatches. This is the before (duh). 


In therms of longevity, Royal Purple has the second best staying power. After 12+ hours of wear, the creasing was not that bad at all. This isn't the most pigmented color of the bunch, and as you can see from the photo it swatches kind of patchy. But, with a bit of blending and layering it looks just fine.


Aquatic Style is my absolute favorite of the bunch. The color payoff is absolutely amazing as you can see. And, of the three pencils I have, this is the one that has the best longevity. I am honestly absolutely in love with this pencil.


I had very high hopes for Winter White, but sadly this one did not measure up. I probably put this one on the toughest test out of the three pencils. I wore this as an eyeshadow base for the drive down to Orlando, and it just didn't make it. As far as creasing, it's up there with the NYX Jumbo Pencil in 'Milk'. Needless to say, I was super disappointed. However, I love to use this as a base for a brow highlight and on the water line.


Here's how my initial swatches held up. I washed dishes, did house work, you name it, while these were on my hand. As you can see, Winter White just barely made it.


Here I'm wearing Royal Purple as a base with M.A.C. 'Stars N' Rockets' and 'Prussian' over top.


Here's how my makeup looked at the end of the day. All in all, the creasing wasn't that bad.


Here I'm wearing Aquatic Style as a base under M.A.C. 'Club' eyeshadow. I absolutely loved how this look turned out.





So, here's the skinny:

Pros:

  • Overall, good color payoff
  • Overall, they last longer than the NYX Jumbo Pencils
  • Waterproof
Cons:
  • Price. These pencils are $6.99 each, as compared to the NYX pencils which are $4.49. But, I still think that these are great pencils and worth the few extra bucks.
So there y'all have it!

See you soon, my freaky darlings!
<3