A Summer Fiesta

Gosh is it hawt or whhhaaaattt?? I'm finishing this post off in the most humid heat, which actually is such a great test of longevity of the product I'm about to talk about. With Christmas near and gift sets spilling out of the makeup counters, there are so many gift sets to choose from and it's really hard to figure out which one has true value for money, or pure marketing ploy. Though I love all the gimmicky christmassy packaging and the plethora of limited edition makeup items that this time of year brings (snapping up every MAC christmas morsel was my favourite yearly past time), I have only given in twice this year. One is coming in the mail and going to be plonked straight into my kit (that will just have to be a later post) and the other one is this Summer Fiesta palette by Kit Cosmetics. 

Aside from the fact that this palette is so beautiful to look at, the colours are really lovely, blendable and durable. Used wet or dry, these eyeshadow shades are simply perfect for the hot summer months ahead. As always though, if you have oily eyelids, lay down a base first, I like MAC's Soft Ochre Paint Pot!

The palette contains 6 shimmery baked eyeshadow shades and 4 matte baked eyeshadow shades. You can create a sultry eye, that's not so in your face, with the medium taupe brown shimmer shade (middle shade of the top row) paired with a blend of the matte shades in the eyelid crease, or use and shimmer and matte duo combo to create a classic smokey eye. Use the darker shades with a wet brush and line the eyes or simply a sheer peachy wash with loads of mascara for a fresh simple look.

The matte shades are quite pigmented on its own in its dry form, however the shimmery shades need a bit more help, with pigmentation being better when you either wet your brush first or give it a bit more patience and lay down more layers. Definitely adopt the patting motion with a flat eyeshadow brush to lay down the colours, instead of sweeping it on, and then using a fluffy brush (love the MAC #217 brush or the Rae Morris #7 Deluxe Point Shader) to buff out the edges.

Summery makeup, even on "special occasions", calls for warm and natural colours, nothing too crazy glam. Something neutral that enhances your eyes with some light bouncing iridescence will do the trick, and Kit really has it on point with this nude palette being great value at AUD35. The nights in Sydney have been so balmy and hot that if this continues into the later summer months and you're wanting to go out wearing eye makeup, you're going to want shadows that don't slip slide off with the heat and sweat. I've road tested this palette over a month or so now, mainly on days when it's sweltering* and let me tell you...no creasing. That says a lot coming from a very oily lidded girl here.

Here's what I used:
Bottom row of Palette: Far left shade for 2/3 of the mobile lid, second to left bottom shade for the eyelid crease, the black (far right shade) to deepen the outer V of my eyes
Top Row of Palette:  A bit of the lightest shade (far left) for right under the brow.

Sorry about the hair, if you didn't think Asian hair could frizz, well come live in Australia :) There was no way I was putting a heating tool to my head! But anyways, quite like the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette, there are plenty of taupes, bronzey, neutral shades in this palette that can be well worn by anyone no matter your skin colour or eye colour. Just a side note, Kit Cosmetics also has a sultry night eye palette too called Summer Soiree - which has more of an Arabian Nights feel with jewel toned colours.

Happy hump day everyone!
X
*with a MAC eyeshadow base; paint pot in Soft Ochre