Exploring Art Deco: Eyeshadows, Blush, and FOTD

I first heard about Art Deco a few years ago before I knew anything about German makeup and have been trying to get my hands on it ever since.  For some reason, I really love the idea of being able to build my own palette, and Art Deco has plenty of options for doing so with their assortment of blushes and eyeshadows.

The first time I was in Germany, I picked up a couple of eyeshadows, which I love dearly, but I've found some real winners this time in the collection as well.

 Art Deco is what I consider to be a mid-range brand.  It's not quite as expensive as MAC, but it's definitely more expensive that your average drugstore makeup, especially for how little product you get in comparison.  However, what makes it worth it for me is their texture - all the blushes and eyeshadows I have tried are soft, smooth, and pigmented without being overly pigmented...if that can really be a negative trait.  What I mean by not being too pigmented is that they are sheer enough to provide a more"natural" look, but they can also be built up really easily. 

This blush shade stood out to me because as I mentioned in my August favorites post, mainly because I've been loving a more neutral blush lately.  This Art Deco one has a lovely pigmentation and texture.  It is buttery smooth and is shimmery, but not metallic.  It also gives my face the perfect slightly tan/bronze look while still being subtle and effortless.

As for the eyeshadows, I picked a warm shade and a cool toned shade.  These have also been some of my latest obsessions, as I am always looking for a grey-purple-lavender (also evidenced by my August favorites....) and the slightly shimmery-but-not-metallic finish of Art Deco is exactly the type of finish that I'm looking for. 

You can also view swatches of a few more shades of Art Deco eyeshadows that I bought the last time I was in Germany here.

Another shade I always look for is an orange toned tan. This one in 308 is actually unique for me because of its light glitter, which adds a unique dimension to the finish.   I haven't actually had the chance to use this yet,but I see this being a great crease shade paired with a bronze or subtle neutral look. 

Some quick swatches...

Art Deco Blush in 02, Eyeshadow in 380, 203

Art Deco Blush in 02, Eyeshadow in 380, 203

Although I confess that I don't usually like how I look in cool toned shadows, I really love the look of grey/lavender/purple tones.  I think the purples offset any silver/blue tones that would make the shadows unflattering on me.  This Art Deco shade in 204 is that exact balance of the purple/grey tones that I love to wear.

 Art Deco's blush collection is not massive, but they do have about 10 shades of varying shades and tones to choose from.  They cost €8,50 for the refill. 

Their eyeshadow selection, on the other hand, is quite large, and they are honestly all beautiful. Their is an impressive range of mattes, shimmer, and metallics, along with a shade range that ranges the rainbow.  It was actually really difficult to pick out exactly what I wanted, and I think there are shades to suit every skintone.  The refills cost €4,80.

If you have a Z palette or some other type of magnetic palette, the pans are all magnetized, but I wanted to try out one of their cases.  They have several options, including a small case for two eyeshadows, a trio for 3 eyeshadows OR 1 blush (what I ended up getting), as well as larger cases to fit a combination of blushes and eyeshadows.  The cases range from about €5 to €14.

If you are not located in Europe, you can also access Art Deco through www.beautybay.com, although the prices are marked up a little bit.

And finally, to prove that these cool toned shades don't look like poo on me, here's a FOTD using one of the shadows, along with items from my August favorites:

Besides some usual base products,  I used the often neglected Maybelline Mineral Power Blush  and MAC Porcelain Pink Mineralized Skin Finish for a pink glow.

For my eyes, I used some products that I just seem to always be reaching for lately.  As a base, I used the MAC Nubile Paintpot that  I recently acquired from a blog sale.  On my lids, I used the cool lilac/grey shade from Art Deco in shade 203 with Catrice I Put on my Plum Glasses at Night in the outer corner.  To blend out, I used MAC Outre.

On my lips is Revlon Pink in the Afternoon with Revlon Colorstay Mineral Lipglaze in Timeless Nude on top.  Both of them are also featured in my last post!

Although I have only tried one blush and a few eyeshadows from Art Deco, the brand has certainly lived up to all my expectations.  I'm impressed by many German/Europe exclusive brands, and this is only one of many brand reviews to come so stay tuned!