Georgie Kennett
Product Testing
I began by testing products I already had and recently bought for the purpose of the project. I knew by this point the colour variations I would be looking at, including blue’s, green’s and turquoises. I wanted to focus on searching for products that were either metallic or iridescent but it was very difficult to select products that were exactly what I was looking for as a lot were not as pigmented as I had hoped. Below are some products I swatched to decide what would be the most successful to use.
The picture above shows both the colours I had purchased; the first a blue in shade 5-Le Freak, the second a mixed silver glitter including pigments of blue and pink in shade 6-Hustle. Both are bright glitters that could be used on the eye or even in the hair to add a different dimension.
The first product I swatched was a Collection 2000 glam crystals glitter eyeliner, the reason I had bought these was because I had seen a lot of eye looks being created on Instagram and pinterest with them. At this point I was unsure if I would be using glitter however it was good to test as an option in relation to metallic and iridescence.
I swatched another liner, this time the product was a chubby khol liner in shade 004 Gleaming Turquoise. The colour was nice and it was pigmented however it was not very metallic or iridescent, so I began swatching products that were more metallic as I had decided this was what I was really looking for as I did not want the colours to look flat.
Here I used Collection 2000 extreme felt lip liner in shade TEAL, this is the colour that sits under the glitter I added on top with the previous product, it is a very dark green colour and was actually very difficult to remove as it stained the skin. This could be used for a more dramatic look however I did not think it was great to use for this project I found it too harsh and I wanted the look to be soft but beautiful like the birds of paradise.
The two following colours here are Barry M fine glitter dust in shade 92, and Barry M dazzle dust in shade 72. Both shades are highly pigmented and are much more of a metallic colour they are also similar colours to the astrapia bird, I would still like to find some products that are even more metallic and really pop with colour however the colour pigment in these is great for my theme.
The next product is more of a shimmer blue/ purple, it is a 24h waterproof eyeliner in shade 210 Metallic Blue, it is a powder and is pigmented nicely, the colour is more of a purple than a turquoise however I’m sure in a mix of other colours it could work quite nicely.
The last swatch of these products is a Maybelline colour tattoo 24 hour gel cream eyeshadow in shade 15- Endless Purple. The pigment is nice and it does have a small amount of shimmer but the product actually appears matte. The purples are not necessarily suitable for the bird I am focusing on however it is good to test this product against the rest to see how and if the colours might work.
This is my favourite product so far, the colour is very metallic and is a perfect turquoise shade. The product is Sleek eye dust in shade 682 jet set. This is the only colour in sleeks eye dust collection that has a strong metallic pigment in it, this is a problem since ideally I would like a range of metallic shades to create an iridescent eye look with.
Other Shimmer/ Metallic Products
Snazaroo Metallics
I considered purchasing Kryolan or Snazaroo’s metallic body paints however the selection of turquoise and iridescent shades were limited and I also did not want to make the look too painted, I wanted the products to look soft and considered rather than heavy and unlike a birds elegance.
Naked Cosmetics Pigments
After a tutorial with Carolyne explaining that I was finding it difficult to source the right products with amazing shimmer she suggested I research Naked Cosmetics; a relatively new brand that had showcased at IMATS. She told me I could have a look at the collections at Uni. I did this and saw a couple of collections that would be prefect I decided to order some to test. They were £40 per collection of six shadows, I waited until black Friday and Guru Makeup had a massive black Friday sale in which the naked cosmetics pigments were 70% off. I had already budgeted to order two collections which would have cost £80, instead I bought 4 collections at around £60.
The first collection I bought was Desert Sunrise, the pack mainly consisted of pinks, rusts and purples and wasn’t necessarily useful for the project however these pigments were going to go into my kit and I saw the opportunity to buy most needed colours that I would use a lot in my kit. This was the first pack I opened and I was absolutely blown away with the pigment and the metallic in them. The swatches are with the product wet which was more suitable for me since I needed the highly pigmented colour to pop. The fifth purple colour could be great if I decide to incorporate purple into the look also.
The second collection is Heavy Metal, I ordered this collection as it appeared to be the most metallic ones and included a striking silver and striking blue which I knew would be useful for the project. The rust colours in this pack are also amazingly pigmented and are great to have in my kit.
The third collection is Twilight, the reason for purchasing this collection is because the colours in it are almost two tone. They are the most iridescent appearing colours in all of the collections. I definitely think the 4th and 2nd, even 5th colours could work great for this project with lots of shimmer and iridescence like the bird of paradise.
The fourth and final collection Tropical Indulgence is by far the most suitable and exciting collection for my project, the colours are stunning and just like the name the colours remind me of the birds of paradise. One colour in particular is the most striking and perfect for the astrapia bird and this is the fifth colour in this collection; the strong turquoise blue. This will definitely be the central colour for me to use on my model as the colour is so perfect. I am really happy with all of the colours and I am so glad I purchased this particular brand they are the most metallic and colourful ones I have tested and will look great.
These are the pictures I took before ordering my own, they are the ones at uni. I took pictures of my favourite and most appropriate collections so I could go home and research into the best ones.
This is definititely my favourite shade so far and this is from the Naked Cosmetics Tropical Indulgence collection in shade 05.It is a perfect turquoise blue colour packed with metallic this will be a great central colour to base the rest of the colours around, the ones previous can compliment this colour.
The first colour is Naked Cosmetics Twilight in shade 04 this is a strong blue colour and could look great at the central colour on the eye look.
Selecting Colours
This dark metallic blue is the Naked Cosmetics Heavy Metal collection in shade 06. It is an amazing deep blue but it is posibly too dark to have as the central colour instead however this could be used a lot for the outer corner of the eyes to create depth with it even moving onto the temple area too.
This is from the Naked Cosmetics collection Heavy Metal, it is the shade 01 and is a heavy silver. I again don't think this colour should be the central colour however would look great used to again highlight the areas that should be lighter on the eyes.
This colour is Naked Cosmetics Twilight collection in shade 02, this is a nice pearly blue irridescent colour that would probably look best as highlight on the eye so under the brow bone and around the tear duct etc. It is not the best central colour in my opinion.