2011 - these eyeshadows were THE BOMB.

EYESHADOWS 

eyeshadows are my favourite product group out of all. during the last year, i have tried and enjoyed many exquisite brands but could also discover great drugstore gems! here is my favourite selection of eyeshadows in 2011.

individual shadows - high end

i was always a fan of eyeshadow palettes rather than single shadows, but i have developed a preference for unique and complex monos. i love smokey neutrals and rich jewel tones, and with individual shades i tend to go quite shimmery while i like my palettes to contain more subtle finishes. another big motif for this year was everything GOLD, but that is thoroughly discussed in previous postings like this.

bronze medal - Le Métier de Beauté True Color Eyeshadows in Chameleon, Corinthian (my fave) and Spicy. i only have 3 of them but love them incredibly for their texture and soft shimmer. they create amazing effects when used as a sheer layer over other shades.

silver medal - Rouge Bunny Rouge When Birds Are Singing...-Eyeshadows in Delicate Hummingbird, Bejewelled Skylark, Abyssinian Catbird, Mysterious Tinamou and Solstice Halcyon. i adore these eyeshadows! they have a soft and fine texture and great pigmentation. the colours are rich and brilliant.

gold medal - my NARS eyeshadows have to be on the throne, but especially two of them: Etrusque, epitome of the perfect gold eyeshadow in my eyes and symbol for my gold-eyeshadows-run of this summer and Mekong, the best deep brown you can find out there (and everybody needs one...).

nominee - Lancôme Erika F., the legendary non-US-available. but not only because it's hard to get it's great because Erika F. truly is. the glimmer of this is amazing. it's like a Chanel Illusion d'Ombre cream shadow in Épatant but in powder form.

nominee - Chantecaille Sel is a beautiful complex shimmering taupe, one of the prettiest i own.

special mention - Chanel Taupe Grisé is a plummy brown with lovely silky texture. it's a super versatile smokey eye or crease colour.

drugstore edition

gold medal - Catrice eyeshadows in Heidi Plum (new version) and C'mon Chameleon. these really are THE BOMB. beautiful colours and effortless texture. and soo affordable!

special mention - Flormar eyeshadows in #14 and #21. both amazing colours, quite unique for a drugstore range. the texture is not that great but these particular colours make up for that.

silver medal - L'Oreal HIP Metallic Shadow Duos in Gilded and Electrified. these are stunning colours (especially the gold in Gilded, looks quite like my beloved Etrusque by NARS) with nice pigmentation and texture and they're quite affordable. unfortunately not available in germany, i had to buy mine from the US.

bronze medal - L'Oreal Color Infaillible/Indefectible Eyeshadows (i have #4 Forever Pink & #5 Purple Obsession and #21 Sahara Treasure & #24 Bronze Goddess). good drugstore-knock-offs of the Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Silk Eyeshadows with same amazing texture and almost as good of a staying power, i'm glad that the colour selection is quite different so i can have the best of both sides.

loose eyeshadows

i love loose shadows for their unusual shimmer effects, the ones i appreciated the most this year were:

gold medal - MAC Mauvement Pigment, a super shimmery complex taupe. i. love. it. it makes the perfect "effortless but still glam"-eye makeup.

silver medal - MAC Rose Gold Pigment, a surprise-gem on my hunt for the perfect substitute for NARS' Etrusque eyeshadow (when i thought it wasn't available anymore). very intense gold with great metallic effect.

bronze medal - MAC Vanilla Pigment, a perfect shade to blend sheerly over shimmery eye makeup looks for a complex pearl sheen, i also like it as a highlighter on the bridge of the nose and the cupid's bow. it's not too gold, it's not too pink and not too flat.

special mention - Barry M Dazzle Dust in #89 Oyster Grey: the most beautiful and polychromatic shade in the range. i absolutely adore this colour.

hybrids

the Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Silk Eyeshadows are my favourite eyeshadows in 2011, they deserve an own category and gold medal.
these are cream/powder hybrids with high pigmentation, super intense complex shimmer and excellent staying power. see all of mine reviewed: #1 here, #2 here, #3 here, #4 here, #6 here and #9 here.

cream eyeshadows

gold medal - most loved and best launch of the year were the Chanel Illusion d'Ombre cream shadows. great shades, great consistency (bouncy/mousse-y/creamy) and OMG amazing high shimmer colours! the staying power is not comparable to MAC Paintpots, Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadows or MUFE Aqua Creams, but is very reliable when applied over a primer. and again, these colours!!!

i have five out of six shades (for now!): #82 Émerveillé, #83 Illusoire, #84 Épatant, #85 Myrifique and #86 Ébloui, my favourite is #83 Illusoire.

eyeshadow palettes

i am obsessed with good eyeshadow palettes (hence my initiated "i ♥ eyeshadow palettes!" - tag), particularly these ones:

bronze medal - SUQQU Blend Color Eyeshadow palettes in 01 Kakitsubata and 03 Matsukasa are relatively new to my collection (i only have them for over a month), but quickly became my absolute favourites. i haven't thorougly reviewed them yet so i won't say much other than including them into this post ;)

silver medal - can't praise them enough: NARS Artist Palettes. mine are Pleasures of Paris, Modern Love and Essential Eye. versatile colour selection and great quality textures apply to all three of them.

gold medal - Guerlain palettes. hands down my absolute favourite address for eyeshadow palettes in this year. they look & feel luxurious and are extremely soft and easy-to-wear colour combinations and finishes. i mostly love my Écrin 6 Couleurs in #2 Place Vendôme and #93, Rue de Passy (but also #68 Champs-Élysées and #29 Rue de Sèvres). from the Écrin 4 Couleurs i like Les Fumes the best. 

EYELINERS

this year i tried some "nicer" colourful eyeliners for the first time and have enjoyed the unique colours.

bronze medal - MAC Powersurge Eye Kohl is a soft golden bronze that i often wore on the lower lashline or waterline for a subtle warm highlight.

silver medal - Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof in #47 Rose Platine is Chanel's prettiest liner to date, a shimmery light taupe with complex undertones, it's super pretty on the lower lashline. too bad it was a LE product so i already have to use it sparingly.

gold medal - K-Palette 1-Day-Tattoo Real Lasting Eyeliner has kicked-butt the L'Oreal Super Liner in that moment i only swatched it on my arm. super precise and smudge-proof liner. i will repurchase for sure!

BROWS

over the last year, i discovered a few brow products that really impressed me:

bronze medal - K-Palette 1-Day-Tattoo Real Lasting Eyebrow, a great liquid brow pen that i will introduce to you soon. i love it for an even more realistic full-brow-effect.

silver medal - MAC Copperplate Eyeshadow is my trusty brow powder with the perfect natural colour for my black hair and a great texture (Matte²).

gold medal - Shiseido Brow Pencil in GY901 Natural Black. it's a great shade and i love that it's rather hard and dry instead of soft and waxy.




what was your eyeshadow-treasure of 2011?
stay tuned for the next post about lips&nails!