Hello lovely people, I hope you're doing well. Today I am going to be sharing my favourite Makeup geek eyeshadows with you, these are the ones I've had for a good few weeks and I have loved the most. I will be doing a full eyeshadow collection and swatch post, as well as a makeup geek starter kit but all in due time. I wanted to kick off my MUG posts with my favourites, the ones that should my whole collection go missing God forbid, I would want to repurchase immediately and these are also the shadows (from what I've tried so far) that look best on a brown/medium complexion. Now I'm not too happy with my swatches, but I tried to get them as accurate in colour as possible so I hope they're still helpful!
Also you may have noticed the 'For Brown Gals' in the title, so I hereby welcome you to a brand new series on my blog - these posts are totally for every single skintone, but especially for my fellow olive/brownskinned girls who want makeup recommendations that are catered to them. I will be doing a couple of these posts here and there from now on ^_^
When I asked on twitter how you guys would like these swatches, with or without primer the general consensus was both. So I have put a line of primer on top (the milani eyeshadow primer £5.99 which is a dupe of the Urban Decay and Too Faced one so I've heard) and as you can see the line went a bit wonky haha. I hope you can also see that primer makes a pretty big difference with the matte shades in the swatches, even though these mattes are great when applied alone on the lids! For some reason bare skin one-swipe swatches don't do them justice at all, which is why I wanted to show the colour with a base underneath as I usually always use one. All in all makeup geek eyeshadows show up well with one swipe of the brush which is why I love them. I should also mention that although I do highly recommend this primer, half the time I'll end up using a concealer instead, so long as it brightens up the lid and gives the shadow something to stick to, it works ^_^
The Crease Shades
Creme Brulee (£6.00): This is the shade most of you will have seen on YouTube over and over, it was one of the shades that was top of my wishlist. It has not disappointed me in the slightest, I use this almost every single time I wear eyeshadow, because it is the most perfect crease/transition shade to ever exist. I never could quite understand why so many girls raved about it, but trust me this is the type of colour to make your eyeshadow look go from a 3 to a 7, if you were judging it in numbers! A sweep of this in the crease helps other colours blend seemlessly and look as if you've spent a long time on the eyes, which is why its effortless and a total essential for me.
Tiki Hut (£6.00): Tiki hut is one of the newer shades that was released this summer and the formula reflects that, very pigmented and it blends like a dream. I would describe Tiki Hut as a medium brown shade with a mix of dark yellow, which makes it an amazing crease shade. It's a little more on the warm side, but could easily be used with a cool eyeshadow look to add some depth. I am very much a neutral girl, so these colours which are a little off the standard browns, really excite me as they add so much even though they look like nothing special in the swatches haha.
Frappe (£6.00): This shade is a must have with creme brulee, the two are like inseparable sisters I usually always use them together! Frappe is a warm toned brown which has a tiny tiny hint of pink. It is a lot warmer than Tiki Hut, but it's not darker if that makes sense, so you can apply a wash of frappe all over the crease and then apply a brighter/ligher shade all over the lid et voila you are good to go! So basically frappe is another one of those basic looking shades that I can't imagine not owning now, its great for adding a little bit of warmth along the lower-lashline for a day-time look too. However my primary reason for loving this shade, is just how effortless it is in the crease, clearly I am using the word effortless a lot in this post thus far - but thats what you want in a crease shade!
Tuscan Sun (£6.00): This is the only shade that didn't come out very clearly in the swatch above, boo! So I'll describe it as more of a subtle dusky shade and I adore this so much! Another one of the newer shadows for the MUG summer collection, tuscan sun is the most beautiful warm shade I have ever used in my crease. When I first purchased it I wasn't sure that I would be getting a lot of use out of it, however just a little tap of the blending brush and a sweep in the crease and it makes your eyeshadow look appear a lot more complex than just a simple brown (or creme brulee!). Another favourite way to wear this shade is to apply it happhazardly all over the crease area with a large blending brush and then taken a smaller more precise brush, loaded with frappe and blend it more precisely into the crease itself. It takes about 30 seconds but again looks so beautifully blended out, without any hard work!
Moving onto the bolder lid shades, these were really hard to photograph and swatch accurately (this particular photo is like my 38927743 attempt), but I think I've just about got it! Some of these are the foiled eyeshadows which do cost a little more so thats why I've included prices. However each of these four are amazingly pigmented, like one swipe wonders and so buttery to apply on the lids.
Magic Act (£9.25): Okay I know I just said I got these swatches right🙄, but Magic Act is a lot more of a true gold and that is why I ADORE IT. If you know me, you know I love a good gold shade because that pop of shine is everything, especially on a medium skintone/brown eyes. What I really like about this shade, aside from the creamy foiled formula, is how it blends so beautifully with lots of shades, browns, greens, reds, khakis etc. Its literally the perfect gold shade, not too cool or too orange...I LAVE IT. I do tend to apply this with my ring finger as the warmth of my finger seems to pick on the most pigment over a brush.
Grandstand (£9.25): This is a gorgeous rich rose gold mixed with brown and again the formula is second to none, totally worth the extra £3 because the pigment packs a punch. Grandstand makes for a stunning base colour if you are creating a brown smokey eye, or you can just pack it onto the outer half of the lid for some extra omph and a bit of depth during the day time. I haven't used this shade much so far, but I know I will get a lot of use out of this pan because the shade is just so stunning and very wearable.
Goddess (£6.00): This is a shade from their standard line and it isn't as metallic as the two above, nor as pigmented as their newer shades, but for quite a strong colour this makes it a lot more wearable in my opinion. I adore this colour, which I'd describe as a dark copper shade which looks incredible used alone or with one transition shade if you fancy a little more depth. Again a perfect shade for medium skintones, and if you have brown eyes you simply NEED this colour in your life, its the one wash wonder I'll be using all summer long, with just a simple pop of highlight in the inner corner. I have quite a few of the copper/orange/red shades from MUG and I will be doing an indepth comparison post, but this so far is definitely my favourite and it really stands out if you apply it with a damp brush too.
Venom (£6.00): And finally the most 'out there' shade from my must-haves, which won't be everyones cuppa tea - venom is the most gorgeous, richly pigmented dark moss green shade with a very subtle golden shimmer. I honestly thought this shade was one of the foiled finishes when I first opened it, because it is super duper pigmented. Now venom is not the easiest shade to wear obviously, but I feel like once I watch enough tutorials I'll become confident enough to wear this at least a couple of times a month haha. This tutorial has seriously inspired me, look how beautiful!! Anyway if you're as big of a fan as green as I am, then you should definitely pick this up ^_^
And the final four, I call these shades the 'deepening/depth' shades, which are essential for adding a little more definition to any looks in my opinion. I have a mix of cool and warm tones here and I enjoy using them all equally.
Wild West (£6.00): Another one of the newer shades, I love wild west because it is such a unique muted kind of shade. A hint of brown, but more plum-like, which makes it really lovely for a 'gentle smoke' (a bit of definition without getting too dramatic y'know?). It's so different to your average dark brown or even black, which is why its in my must haves because again its a lovely versatile shade.
Pretentious (£6.00): this is not strictly a deepening up shade, but there wasn’t any room for it in the other two, so here it went! Pretentious is a beautiful antique/bronze shade which is one of my go-tos for all over the lid. Again its a shade that I love against my olive skin tone and brown eyes, either used alone as a one wash shade or used for more of an intricate look with deeper matte browns. Seriously a must have (this shade also looks GORGEOUS with a damp brush by the way - thats the only way you'll get a colour like the one in the swatch I have found!).
Cocoa Bear (£6.00): Another shade which is raved about over and over on YouTube, and for very good reason! CB is the perfect brown shade in my eyes, very warm toned and beautifully pigmented/blendable. It's my go-to shade for smoking out the lower lashline, even for a day to day look which makes a change for me, but I just cannot get enough of how beautiful it looks! Seriously one of the most beautiful browns ever created, that touch of red adds so much depth to any eyelook. I also love pairing this up with cream brulee for a really simple, warm eyeshadow look, that takes me about 30 seconds to create but it looks a lot more complex!
Mocha (£6.00): And last but not least, OF COURSE I had to include a standard deep matte brown! I adore smoking out my lower lashline with mocha, its the perfect neutral dark brown in my opinion and it looks beautiful on the lower and upper lash line. I am definitely a black-liner kind of girl every single day, however if I do fancy a bit of a softer and more sultry look I'll reach for mocha on a small pencil brush and use it instead. Its an essential because it creates so much depth to my eyeshadow looks and it's a colour that can take you from day-to-night, with no issues whatsoever!
There you have it ladies! MY personal must-haves, although these aren't all shades I reach for on a regular basis, they're the ones that I absolutely adore and would repurchase instantly. I will be doing a MUG starter shadow post, which'll include the shades I think everyone needs (especially those of you with an olive/brown complexion). I am in the process of reviewing and swatching every shade in colour families, so keep an eye out!
Have you got any Makeup Geek shadows? Which ones are YOUR must haves?
Thank-you for reading ♥
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