August 25, 2015

Where there's smoke, there's By Terry Ombre Blackstar in Bronze Moon

August 25, 2015/ Nicole McIntyre

I had an 'ohhh, that's how' moment a few months back while watching vlogger, Anna, do her makeup, and thought 'I want try that.' In a flash I found myself in Mecca picking up yet another Ombre Blackstar, but this time I grabbed Bronze Moon. One of the many #goodexcuses to buy makeup.

Bronze Moon swatched on the inside of my arm

For a lazy, smoky brown eye I messily applied bronze moon (a shimmery, warm golden brown) all over the eye lid one eye at a time to prevent bronze moon from setting, and went in with Zoeva's 228 Luxe Crease Eyeshadow brush and blended the crap out of the rough edges for a softer, sultry look. I finished the rest of the look with Urban Decay's Sunburn (neon red/orange), Marc Jacob's Ro(Cocoa), my go-to brown eyeliner, and smudged a small amount of bronze moon along the outer corner of the lower lash line.

The thing I love the most about bronze moon is its ability to intensify the green in my hazel eyes.

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for By Terry Ombre Backstair in Bronze Moon:

$56.00 AUS / $43.50 USD

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

10 out of 10 bags — Tattoo like hold (the temporary kind), with amazing colour payoff.

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

This palette.

April 22, 2014

Eyes to mesmerize: By Terry's Crayon Khol Terrybly Eye Pencil in Holy Black

April 22, 2014/ Nicole McIntyre

It was sheer coincidence when I decided to finally take By Terry's Waterproof Crayon Khol Terrybly in Holy Black out for a spin this weekend. Holy Black was a small treasure I picked up during the Christmas Holiday break in Singapore -- I fell in love with the colour immediately, but never registered the name.

Swatches of Holy Black blended (left) and untouched (right)

Immediately I had visions of smouldering eyes and sparkle tinged cat eye flicks, but truth be told I'm as skilled as a Kindergartener wielding plastic scissors and rainbow hued construction paper. My fine motor skills are lacking -- one would think I left the same imaginary Kindergartener to their own devices by letting them paint my face.

Recently I learned a valuable lesson from Karen, your liner doesn't have to be perfect, because you can blend the heck out of it. So, blend I did.

Wearing Holy Black on the outer corners of my eyes

To get this look, simply follow these steps:

Start with an eye primer.
Grab a matte taupe or tan eyeshadow and apply all over the eye lid and stop just at the crease. Be sure to blend out any harsh lines.
Next grab your liner and apply a fairly chunky line from the outer corner of your eye. The line only needs to cover a third of the lash line.
It's now time to smudge and blend your liner. If you don't have a smudge brush, your pinkie finger or even a puffed up Q-tip will do.
I then lightly patted and blended on Inglot's Pure Pigment Eyeshadow in shade 85, a cocoa brown with glints of teal. Clean up any fallout, because the teal flecks will emphasise blue under eye circles.
Blend again.
Highlight your brow area.
Finish with mascara.

While I don't know if I'll ever use By Terry's Holy Black in a traditional manner, I was pleased the tip of the liner wasn't nearly as malleable as Opaline Flash.

Fine lines (not the wrinkle kind) and smudginess await.

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for By Terry's Crayon Khol Terrybly Eye Pencil:

$48.00 AUS / $34.00 USD

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

7 out of 10 bags — Ermagherd! This pencil is wicked expensive!! Rimmel has a more than adequate dupe.

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

Kinda sorta of on a spending freeze. But I wouldn't mind getting another Ombre Blackstar Cream Eyeshadow :)

September 08, 2013

Give your eyes a bit of pick me up with By Terry's Crayon Khol Terrybly Eye Pencil in Opaline Flash

September 08, 2013/ Nicole McIntyre

Your cheekbones have NARS Copacabana, the brow bones and cupid's bow have Benefit's High Beam and your general glow is imparted by Hourglass' Ambient Lighting Powder.

And your eyes? Here's how can you make them come to life on a random Tuesday morning in less than two minutes. Simply line your upper lash line with By Terry's Crayon Khol Terrybly Eye Pencil in Opaline Flash.

Opaline Flash, one of six shades, is a light seashell pink with grey undertones and a pearlescent finish. By Terry promises eight plus hours of wear from this waterproof formula. Look beyond your eyes and experience its multi-purpose abilities -- Opaline Flash can even be used to highlight and define other facial features.

While the name of this product contains the word precision, I have yet to apply a precise line. The tip is soft and is also prone to spreading to places you wish it wouldn't go, mainly the roots of my lashes. In order to combat this I try to smudge and blend out any imperfections. I can't speak for the other five colours, so you might want to test them out before fully committing.

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for By Terry's Crayon Khol Terrybly Eye Pencil in Opaline Flash:

$48.00 AUS / $34.00 USD

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

6 out of 10 bags — pretty, but pretty expensive.

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

I might go swatch By Terry's Colour Skin Enhancers, but whoa, check out the price tag!

August 12, 2013

Beamed down from another galaxy: BY TERRY Ombre Blackstar "Color-Fix" Cream Eyeshadow

August 12, 2013/ Nicole McIntyre

My eyes popped out after sneaking a peek at the price tag. With the myriad of eyeshadow pencil options out there, what could possibly warrant the $62.00 price tag? Well, once the colour is applied, it refuses to budge. However, with its unbudginess (official makeup geek speak here) your window for blending is very slim -- work fast and efficiently, folks.

The presence of Tahitian black pearl extract "smoothes and perfects eyelids" and possibly even adds to that insane price tag.

The tip of the eyeshadow stick is perfectly rounded and sized for sneaking into crevices and tight corners. On appearance alone, I think Terry's version is similar in size to Bobbi Brown's Long-wear Cream Shadow Stick.

Frozen Quartz is a shimmery mauve with brown and purple undertones, great for using all over the lid or in the crease. Misty Rock is a champagne tinged tan with a hint of light pink; I prefer to use this colour as a wash on my lid and along my lower lash line. If either of these colours don't do it for you, there are eight others to ponder over.

Misty Rock (left) and Frozen Quartz (right)

While I do enjoy the three dimensional colour I have found you need to apply eyeliner first, because the texture of the shadow does not make for a smooth base. For me it's a fair trade-off as I prefer the "tattoo-like hold".

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for BY TERRY Ombre Blackstar "Color-Fix" Cream Eyeshadow: