Look: Riot Of Colour

Okay, the title does sound rather hilarious. It's neither the face nor the eye look that is a riot of colour. It's just the outfit, a borrowed title.

Still, the eye look is admittedly slightly more colourful than my usual.

For this look, I used:

L-R: Teeez Silk Fantasy Smooth 11, NARS Demon Lover Duo, GOSH Velvet Touch Eye Liner Purple Stain

Eyes
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Teeez Silk Fantasy Eyeshadow Smooth 11 - bright frosty pink
NARS Duo Eyeshadow Demon Lover - blue & indigo
GOSH Velvet Touch Eye Liner Purple Stain
GOSH Velvet Touch Eye Liner Black Ink
Josie Maran GOGO Instant Natural Volume Argan Mascara

For the eyes:
Upper lids
Pink eyeshadow on inner half
Blue eyeshadow on outer half
Indigo eyeshadow above the blue
Purple Stain as eyeliner
Black Ink for tightline

Lower lids
Pink eyeshadow as lining on inner one-third
Indigo eyeshadow on outer two-thirds
Purple Stain lining on the indigo eyeshadow

Curled lashes and applied mascara

Look: Batwing With Chartreuse

This was the makeup that I wore the other day.

For the eyes, it's a neutral look with the Jane Iredale Daytime Eye Shadow Kit. I used two shades of brown as the base colours and the black stretched out at the outer corners. The eyeshadows were applied with a sponge-tip applicator. Eye images were taken indoors.

I used:

Eyes
Jane Iredale Lid Primer - Lemon

Jane Iredale Daytime Eye Shadow Kit
- dark brown in the lid folds (Dark Suede, palette: second from right)
- medium brown above the dark brown (Almond, palette: second from left)
- black elongated in the outer corners (Charcoal, palette: rightmost)

Jane Iredale Eye Pencil - Basic Black (and with Charcoal eyeshadow over it)

Josie Maran GOGO Instant Natural Volume Argan Mascara

NOUBA: Rainbow Eye Liner

NOUBA loves vivid colours. But of course, why wouldn't it? The creator of NOUBA was inspired by the Nuba people of Sudan who are skillful face and body painters.

So, the use of the word Rainbow in the name here certainly isn't out of sync. It really does offer a plethora of colours in its range of liquid eyeliners. Some are subdued (black, brown) and some of loud (super hot pink). Some have shimmer/glitter and some are matte.

I got one somewhere in between, a matte blue with a bit of sheen. When it comes to colours on the eyes, I tend to have a thing for blue. I won't pretend that I don't know where this obsession stems from. I blame it purely on having spent too many years using coral+brown+black on my eyes (in Witoxicity-speak: my dull, pre-beauty awakening era).

No. 17 is the number given to this blue. Here's what NOUBA says about the Rainbow Eye Liner:
Interesting combination and incredible variety of colours that allow to characterize and personalize the make up of the eye with a special eye liner. The perfect adhesion of the product, the exact softness of the brush and the great simpleness of application, make of this eye liner a product unique in its line.

The eyeliner costs around €16.90 for 5ml. I'm not able to establish exactly how many colours there are in the Rainbow Eye Liner range (the stores that I've come across don't always have the full range, and there is no indication of it on the website either).

Ingredients
Please click to enlarge.

The Brush
The brush is quite fine, but don't expect to get a super-fine line with it. I do find that it draws on moderately thick. However, if you want to wing it, it's still possible. The black brush handle has a good grip. It feels rubbery (think NARS).

The Eyeliner Liquid
The liquid does take a while to dry on the lid. I tend to have problems with it in the inner corner of the eye due to the way my eyelid folds (inwards). Sometimes, it smudges despite my waiting for it to dry with my eye closed (and not to mention, looking very elegant while at it).

This brings me to my next point. It's not waterproof. So, it will smudge if in contact with dampness or if you have watery eyes. Under normal (dry) circumstances, it does stay put for more than half a day, in my case. At the end of the day, there is a tiny bit of flaking.

My first impression when I got the eyeliner was that the contents seemed dry, just from looking through the packaging (image: notice the crack in the contents). Luckily, I haven't had the experience of pulling out a dry brush so far in the last few weeks I've been using it.

Something trivial: It's not obvious unless you hold the brush to your nose - it smells rather like baby powder.

Just a hint of eyeshadow: NARS Demon Lover
Eyeliner: NOUBA Rainbow Eye Liner No. 17
Mascara: GOSH Wonder Volume Mascara

Last Words
I do think it is pricey for an eyeliner that is not cast-iron lasting (there are less expensive colourful alternatives on the market). Then again, a high-end makeup brand is how NOUBA has chosen to position itself as, however justified or unjustified it is. Personally, I'm still ambivalent about the brand, after having tried its Plumping Gloss Stick lipstick and this eyeliner. That being said though, I think I will always be fascinated by the rainbow colours that so characterises this brand.

I bought this eyeliner from ICI Paris XL. NOUBA is also available in some (larger) Douglas stores.


Further reading:
NOUBA: Plumping Gloss Stick
NOUBA website

NOUBA: Plumping Gloss Stick

I first came across NOUBA in a large Douglas store in Amsterdam early this year. The display counter was so eye-catching with its colourful products. Think bold and vibrant. Think rainbow.

I managed to pull myself away from the display counter, which required a lot of will power! However, I took another good look at its products several months later at another store and this time, I got myself a lipstick and a liquid eyeliner. So, first, the lipstick.

Ooh, the colour for this one really packs a punch and I love it!

According to the website of NOUBA, the brand has been around since 1982 and was created by makeup artist, Rosy Armanini. For the name, the creator took inspiration from the Nuba people of Sudan who are known for their elaborately painted faces and bodies. From what I understand, the brand’s based in Italy and that’s also where its products are made.

This Plumping Gloss Stick retails for €22.90 in the Netherlands, but a bit of scouring on the internet tells me that it’s available in some other countries for a lesser price. It’s more on the pricier side for a lippie of 4 ml / 0.13 fl oz. And hey, take a look at the casing. Don’t you think it bears a striking resemblance to the NARS lipstick? Black, stumpy, squarish and has a rubbery surface.

Anyway, for those of you ladies who are ingredient-conscious, here’s its list of ingredients as printed on the box:

Polybutene, Caprylic/Caprictriglyceride, Hydrogenated polyisobutene, Dipentaerythrityl hexahydroxystea- rate/Hexastearate/Hexarosinate Polyethylene, Calcium aluminum borosilicate, Cera microcristallina (Microcrystalline wax), Mica, Silica Parfum (Fragrance), Tocopheryl acetate, Sodium hyaluronate. May contain: CI77891 (Titanium dioxide) CI77163 (Bismuth oxychloride), CI77510 (Ferric ferrocyanide), CI77491-CI77492-CI77499 (Iron oxides), CI15850 (Red 6 lake, Red 7), CI19140 (Yellow 5 lake), CI45410 (Red 27 lake),CI42090 (Blue 1 lake)

The Plumping Gloss Stick that I’m showing here is in shade No. 414, a dark fushcia, almost purple. It does have a faint scent and I read somewhere a while back that it’s the scent of frangipani and almond. It’s very pigmented and it applies beautifully. I thought its staying power was pretty good. However.....

• Plumping? I didn’t notice any ‘plumping’ action, but that’s not quite a complaint, Ms Armanini. I think my lips are thick enough as it is, so I really don’t need any seafood-allergy kind of lips.

• Gloss? I’m not quite seeing it either. Is it just me or is it more on the matte side?! You might want to scroll up to have another look. This isn’t a lipstick that I would use alone as I thought it was only so-so on the moisturising factor (bear in mind that I have very drying lips, so this is a recurring theme any which way).

While the first lip photo shown was with only the Plumping Gloss Stick lipcolour, this second one was with a (generous) layer of Rituals Eve's Kiss lipgloss on top.

I'll let you decide which version looks better.

More information can be gleaned from the NOUBA website and its Facebook page.