FOTD featuring Cuicu Eyeshadows

Hi everyone! As I said on my Twitter earlier today, I didn't think that I would have time to blog this weekend but hey, here I am :)

I want to start by saying thanks to those who have shown interest in my giveaway! And a warm welcome to my new followers ^^

I've read through the entries and have taken note of your answers to my questjen: 'what would you like to see more of on my blog?' - I really appreciate the feedback and suggestions.

As a way of showing my gratitude, I have a new makeup look to share. I dedicate this FOTD to the ones who suggested that I do one :D

 It's been way too long since I last did one of these

It's almost spring for us living in the southern hemisphere!! I think this look is very suitable for spring~ weeeeee

A nameless FOTD because I am uncreative and not witty. Forever sighing over the qualities that I wish I had. Where art thou artistic skills, cleverness and musical talents?!?

Just in case you were wondering what products I used for my FOTD, here is the description:

I've included a polaroid selca just because. I'm vain

• MeMeMe Flawless Cream Foundation - Honey Lush
• Cargo Blush - Catalina
• Cuicu Symphony Stereo 3-color Eyeshadow
• K-Palette Real Lasting Liquid Black Eyeliner
• Daiso lashes No. 210 (from Jen)
• Maybelline The Falsies Mascara
• Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter - Cupcake

If this post was just going to be a FOTD one then it would probably end right here. I think this is why I may have... kind of 'stopped' doing FOTD posts because in my opinion they would be too short and for me they would seem... unfinished. Perhaps blog readers prefer short and snappy posts however as a blogger I much prefer to have detailed posts to keep the reader informed but not bored. Also as a blog reader, I do prefer to read lengthy posts :D

So in additional to a FOTD look I am going to briefly review the eyeshadow trio I used!

Thank you KKCenterHK for sending over this 'Cuicu Symphony Stereo 3 Color Shadow' - a brand and product that I hadn't heard of before. I wonder if any of my readers have...

Looks like a Korean brand?

'프로페셔널메이크업' just translates to 'Professional Makeup'

Hm interesting, I have never seen an expiry date on eyeshadows before. Have you?

I guess that is somewhat helpful

I am a bit confused looking at the back of the packaging. www.cuicumakeup.com doesn't seem to exist? Or maybe it used to exist but moved/closed. That is rather odd...

CUICU Symphony Stereo 3 Color Shadow

RRP $5.95

The box with a hole for the colours to be seen. I like the texture of the box

I see Korean, English and Chinese. Where is the 'Made in _____' ? I seriously wonder where this product came from haha....

The product arrived in roughly one week and it was packaged with about 3 wrap-arounds of bubble protection. To my surprise, I noticed that the pink eyeshadow had cracked:( I wasn't happy with having to clean up the mess it made in the packaging.

Untouched mess. 

I wouldn't blame this entirely on KKCenterHK.... after all they did package it neatly but it was probably not handled with care during shipment

The poor design of the box could be the main cause of this problem. There is a rectangular 'hole' for the eyeshadow colours to be seen which I just mentioned above. I think it would make a difference if this 'hole' was filled with a clear plastic sheet. Oh well... the eyeshadow is not completely ruined thankfully.

I cleaned it up and it looks much better now

Also, I have been inspired to use Jap magazine pages as the 'background' for my product images :) 

It makes the picture a whole lot prettier I reckon

Now to share some swatches:

One swipe with each finger, with the corresponding eyeshadows directly behind

They look rather sheer and if you look closely, you may be able to see some loose powdery bits on my finger. Reminds me of loose eyeshadow pigments... except these are pressed eyeshadows and are not pigmented.... *shrugs*

They definitely look better swiped on the back of my hand

I think it's safe to assume that the eyeshadows have not been finely milled as preferred. Sadly the swatch for the turquoise eyeshadow in the middle looks more like a metallic green. Turquoise would have been more awesome in my opinion.

 In flash lighting

How did I apply my eyeshadow? Well, I used a fluffy shader brush to apply the white eyeshadow to the inner corners of my eyes and also as a highlight colour for my brown bone aka the area right under my eyebrows. I then added the pink eyeshadow to the centre of my eyelids with the same brush, followed by a pop of the greenish-turquoise shade to the outer corners of my eyelids, my crease and on my bottom lash line with a pencil brush (Sigma). I used a blending brush to eliminate any harsh lines and to bring the colours altogether without over blending.

Lighting and camera quality has an impact on how the eyeshadows look on my eyelids

I can't make much comment about the double-ended sponge applicator provided in the palette since I didn't use it to apply my eyeshadow. I actually always use eye brushes instead of sponge applicators.... it's just my preference and I find brushes to be more versatile (applying and blending). I appreciate how there is a sponge applicator provided as it makes it more travel/makeup bag friendly for any needed touch-ups.

My overall thoughts:

It's not a bad eyeshadow trio and the colours are quite nice. It's just that in comparison to other eyeshadows that are similar in price... I feel that this trio is lacking in quality and isn't on the same standards as others. My pink eyeshadow is still cracking even after I have cleaned it up and removed the loose bits. I assume that this is due to the eyeshadows not being finely milled and hence being more prone to separating and whatnot. The pigmentation of eyeshadows is not a high priority for me because it's buildable during application so I'm really not fussed about that. In the palette the eyeshadows feel chalky but once swiped they feel quite smooth and if there is any fallout, they can easily be blown away or brushed off using a fan brush.

The case definitely feels sturdy but unfortunately that wasn't enough to protect the non-finely milled pink eyeshadow from experiencing breakage during shipment.

Recommend?

If I had to recommend it to someone, I would only recommend this to anyone of any age wants to do their first eyeshadow experiment. When I first played around with eyeshadow, I remember that the palette I used was pretty bad quality but I still found it fun to play with :/ I was under 10 years old haha.

But if you are looking for a cheap, good quality eyeshadow.... I wouldn't recommend this. For $5.95 it isn't worth it and you are better off saving your money or investing in a better-quality one where the brand is familiar and the country of make. Also you want to be sure that they have a website that is actually legit.... *sceptical*

You can give them a try if you're interested~ I have a 10% off code for KKCenterHK orders on any item: BLGB345JL10

My face is like: 'I can find better eyeshadows elsewhere'

LOL I'm kidding but it definitely looks like I'm thinking that.

I have come to the end of my review post! Thank you for reading/skimming/whatever you do when you see a post from me xD I really enjoyed doing a FOTD look after such a long time - so glad to have made a comeback ^_^

Questjen of the week:

Eyeshadows - How important is the quality to you?

My answer: Important but not of utmost importance

Even though I found this trio to not be of high quality, this won't mean that I will never use these eyeshadows again or chuck them out. For some they may be completely useless but to me... they are still usable. I can make them work like how I did for my FOTD. I may prefer higher quality eyeshadows but as I said before, pigmentation is not my top priority - just as long as it is buildable and the eyeshadow smoothes onto my eyelids.

I want to quickly add that next saturday is the Adelaide Beauty Conference!! I am so excited for it. I attended last year's one and it was so amazing. I heard that this year's one will be even bigger... oh I can't wait hehe. I will surely blog about it *_*

♥ Jen xx