Lunasol Skin Modeling Eyes Kit 2015 - Beige Beige and More Beige

Lunasol has always been known as the grand-daddy of office-friendly boring neutral. It owes much of its fame to Beige Beige (the Skin Modeling Eyes released in 2009). Thanks to Beige Beige's overwhelming popularity, Lunasol has been releasing one kit containing the palette for several years in a roll. For the same price of a palette, you also get one or two items you wouldn't buy anyway (but hey, at least that's a nice gesture). The Skin Modelling Eyes Kits of 2015 has the added bonus of a powder blush and mini lipstick, both in nude-peach.

The Skin Modeling Eyes Beige Beige contains four pans with 6.7g of product.

1. Off white glimmering top wash with chunky glitter particle. It's more subtle than the top wash from other palette and it only blings things up a little (no wet sheen but visible chunk of glitter).

2. Peachy beige lid shade with soft gold sheen, satin/velvet finish and a texture that's soft and very easy to blend.

3. Tan beige lid shade with warm glimmer, also satin. I personally found the two beiges a little confusing, they are of the same intensity so I can't really do a gradation (even the back of palette instructs you to do so)with the two. I usually just use one closer to inner color and other on the outer corner to even out the eyelid (which it doesn't really do)? I am guessing these are to be layered or blended to acheive the desire tone then applied?

 4. Golden chestnut brown. Smooth and satiny. Beside the fact that I was always curious about this palette (being Lunasol's all time best seller and all), the medium liner was what made me really interested in the palette. Most of the time, I use very little of Lunasol's liner shades (which is usually a pearly de facto matte that gets too smokey when I use too much and muddy when I over blend). I feel like a well coordinated palette should at least ensure even usage of all shades (or smaller pans for the top wash/liner). And a lighter liner pan might just do that.

Anyway, the chestnut brown is deep enough to line the eyes and it can be also layered with the beige to add some depth to the lid.

Swatches of Beige Beige (rotated 90 degrees) - The four pans looks glorious under the setting sun and with all the complex shimmer that Japanese brands so so well (and doesn't necessarily show on the eyes). The pigmention for the two lid and liner shades are quite good and it yields the same kind of pigment/opacity and what you expect from western brands like Urban Decay...Which is not the reason why I like Lunasol eyeshadow. 

The good news is that if you like neutral colors from western brands, this will hit the spot (then give some bonus).

Skin Modeling Eyes Beige Beige on me. After 5 tries on different days...I decided to stop wasting my time on it and actually wear the colors I like.

My conclusion after the trial is that I don't get the point of (me wearing) this palette (at this time of the year). Yeah, I know that these are not meant to give an actual eye-makeup look, but to subtly enhance the texture of the lids and add some shades and definition. In my case, the two beige shades don't really illuminate define(for that purpose, I usually go with rose gold or mauve based neutral), they just sit there and enhance the fine lines that I didn't know I had... While the chestnut brown is subtle and defining, I don't find it special (nothing that I can't get with a Wet n Wild and I am already too lazy to bother with Wet n Wild…).

Beige Beige manages to make me looks like I am wearing eyeshadow, giving a powdered (rougher and drier) texture to my lids. In a way, it's like a foundation that gives illumination and light coverage, I get the whole idea but why should I wear it if the undertone is off and that the foundation cakes (when I don't have much to cover up in the first place)?  I used it on bare and well-moisturized lids for these pictures. I have tried it with primer and it just ended uplooking more powdery and balling up after a few hours.

So, my preliminary say on the palette is What's-the-bloody-point. I will give it another try once the weather warms up...in six months (I tan fairly easily and during summer plus I don't get the ghostly purple undertone due to poor circulation).  Let's talk about the freebies now.

Full Glamour Lips EX-03 Light Beige Pink - is a mini lipstick with a rather solid construction. The tube has a nice (but muted)click and the lipstick itself just looks like the Full Glamour Lips in miniature(none of that useless gwp feel). 

EX-03 Light Beige Pink is a creamy peach with some silver particles (not visible on lips). A shades that's a shade lighter and warmer than my own lip color. Nothing too pasty or nude.

  On the lips, it glides well and offers a slight glossy sheen and medium coverage. I didn't expect much it's a nice wearable peachy nude to have, especially now I can't find my Juicy Papaya lip butter (did I leave it behind last year when I move?)!
Coloring Cheeks N in EX02 Light Beige Pink is another peachy pink. The packaging looks cheap but heck it's free! It has a smooth and dry texture (seriously though I though blushes are all smooth and easy to blend with a good natural-haired brush). The color is light but it does show up. The shimmer is visible but doesn't look chunky.

Swatches of the lipstick and blush (look warmer than they are because of the sunset).

Overall: At this moment, I don't like the palette at all (then again, I am not supposed to love everything I buy), I find the lipstick and cheek color somewhat usable. If anything, the quality for the whole set is still solid though.