Pupa Spring 2015 Sporty Chic Collection - Graphic Eyeshadow Palette and Velvet Matt Cream Eyeshadow

Purchased items.

SPRING IS HERE.

No?

Well, eff it, let's pretend.

I'm diving deep into all the pastels I can find. I ran across the Pupa Spring display at Jean Coutu a few weeks back, and all those beautiful lilacs and apple greens called to my soul. I had to get a few bits from the Sporty Chic Collection - especially an incredible-looking cream shadow in a shade I've actually never seen before (and crossed my fingers it would show up as vibrant on the eye as it does in the jar).

The vibe here is giving me a flashback to the 4th grade (mid 80s, to save you the math), which is admittedly not a time period I'm usually inclined to revisit. And yet...I'm having the sweetest wave of nostalgia right now (bolstered by these kind of articles). Preteen me would have given this palette a place of honour on her dresser, right next to her bottles of Exclamation and Electric Youth.

The actual colour palette reads a little less obviously 80s, though. A little Twiggy, maybe?

Either way, it's beautiful. All of the eyeshadows have the same ultra-fine, smooth texture, creamy but thin in the way of the Maybelline Color Plush eyeshadows. The pigmentation is semi-sheer, but intentionally so, not due to chalkiness. To me, these are fantastic layering shades, as they all have some degree of opalescent shimmer that sits so well on top of a deeper base, though they can still be used by themselves. Wear-time was surprisingly good for chiffon-light shades like this, about 8 hours without significant wear and tear, though with fading. (Over a primer or cream base.)

I think veils of colour like this feel very modern right now, especially for spring. I'm kind of tired of the very contoured/defined/transition shade/3-point eye looks that are Instagram staples right now.

If you're going to get something from this collection though, it HAS to be the Velvet Matt cream eyeshadow in #003. This is truly incredible. Purples are notoriously difficult to get right in terms of texture and payoff, but a pastel-hued version in a matte cream formula? That truly is a marvel.

This applies perfectly true from jar to skin, and can be used fully opaque without creasing or bunching, and can be buffed out without going patchy.

And the colour...LOOKIT.

I really don't think I've seen anything quite like it, especially not in such a top-notch formulation. I didn't need to use a primer under it, and it lasted 8 plus hours without budging, cracking or fading.

I did a quick look using these guys, drawing from both the Twiggy/60s/Mod side and the current Korean-inspired Spring makeup trends. 

I used the Velvet Matt as a base on the mobile lid and lightly buffed into the crease, and then layered the lilac shadow on the lid, with the pale pink in the centre of the lid. I used the apricot through my crease. I then worked a Sephora Contour Eye Pencil in the shade #37 Caipirinha Dreaming' into the lower lash line, and then buffed the chartreuse shade over that. The pale lemon yellow went into the inner corner. I finished off the eyes with little wing courtesy of the Le Métier de Beauté pen liner, and a couple coats of Make Up For Ever Smoky Lash mascara.

To keep on-trend with the radiant, "just had a facial" skin, I applied a crapload of moisturizer, used the Make Up For Ever Smoothing Primer, and then applied the Clarins Everlasting Foundation using a buffing brush that was dampened with a glycerin-heavy toner from Nuxe. A bit of bright Delizioso Pink blush from Milani on the cheeks, and then loads of balm and a swipe of Quince from Bite Beauty on the lips, faded out to the lipline for a juicy effect.

I'm digging it.

I know Pupa is hard to get in Canada - I can only find it here in Jean Coutu stores. Have you guys seen it anywhere else?

(I purchased all the items. This post is not sponsored or otherwise compensated.)

Pupa Vamp! Mascara

I like volumizing mascara - but I need the feathery, "natural" sort of volume, not the dozens-of-spider-legs volume. In other words, I want that mythical creature of mascaras, the one that will give me thickness, separation and length, while still looking completely natural.

You can laugh. It's ok. I know I live in Crazy Town on this one.

I'll tell you though...the Vamp! Mascara that I received from Pupa comes fairly close to achieving all of my lash dreams.

The packaging is cute, sassy and vaguely futuristic, with the kind of fat, curvy, natural-bristle brush that seems antithetical to its purpose. The fatter end works surprisingly well when it comes to to finding and coating those tricky little inner corner lashes, and the curved middle portion somehow makes it easy to wiggle the wand right into the base of the lashes without smearing my eyeball. It's really great for getting every last lash, root to tip. I think that's the key to the natural volume effect. It's not adding a thick layer of potentially clumpy goo to each lash, but really getting at all the lashes to make their presence felt.

With one coat, this gives me great length, a nice curl, good definition and clump-free, natural thickness. With two coats, some of the definition is lost as thickness is augmented, but that's perfect for the day-to-night transformation - from bright-eyed and feathery to vampy, indeed. With several coats, this achieves the effect of false lashes, with minimal clumping. The key is to do the wiggle at the base, and then sweep through the length.

The formula dries relatively soft, so the lashes don't end up spiky and crispy. They stay flexible to the touch, yet they hold that curl very well.

This would be in my personal top 5 mascaras, but for the fact that it does smudge in the outer third of my eye. Not terribly, but enough that I need to do a midday q-tip wipe. If your eyes are less watery/oily than mine, this may not be an issue for you.

Behold: scary up-close eyeball picture!

One coat on the left eye, top lashes only.

Availability: Most drugstores like Jean Coutu, in the prestige aisle. Price is 20$ CAD.

Pros: Great balance of thickness, length, curl and definition that still looks natural at one coat. Builds rapidly with multiple coats without becoming clumpy. Brush makes it easy to capture all the lashes.

Cons: Not smudge-proof on me.

(The item was sent to me by the brand to consider for review. This post is not sponsored or compensated.)

Pupa Glossy Lips Ultra Shine Lip Gloss - 300 Very Nude, 201 Pink Diamond, and 403 Shimmering Ruby

Wow, this post brings back some memories. Back many a moon ago, I had a different beauty blog (which shall remain nameless), and one of the very first products I reviewed was from Pupa.  I had a strange and wonderful moment when I unpacked the box that was sent to me and saw the familiar glossy red bag with the Pupa label.

If you're not familiar with the name, I don't blame you - Pupa is an Italian brand that seems to fly a little under the radar. It's distributed throughout Europe and in Canada, but has yet to reach US shores. It can be found in most drugstore here in Quebec, albeit in the prestige section of their makeup departments, as well as online at eBeauty.com. They have some really fun products, especially their baked mineral eyeshadows and blushes, which would hold their own in a slapfight with MAC's, no problem.

This was my first time trying out their lip products, and I was intrigued by the press package claims for the Glossy Lips, which promised extreme brightness and enamel-like shine, vibrant, "gellified" pigments, and the nourishing effects of argan oil.

At far as exteriors go, I like the packaging. The tubes are nice and substantial, and remind me a bit of the Buxom glosses, though without that slight curve. In fact, I kept reaching for my Buxom gloss when I meant to be getting one of these during my testing process.

Bottom to top: 300 Very Nude, 201 Pink Diamond, 403 Shimmering Ruby

Bottom to top: 300 Very Nude, 201 Pink Diamond, 403 Shimmering Ruby

The Glossy Lips are a new product in the Pupa lip family, and also boast a new style of flocked applicator - with a flatter profile and a rounded tip, it allows for a precise application.

I think that these glosses stand up quite well for the claims made for them. They do indeed impart a high-gloss, almost vinyl-like finish that stays glossy for a good two hours before starting to dry down. They have a slight plumping effect, either from the high-gloss finish or the moisturizing ingredients. They are scented - something quite gourmand, like vanilla cake.

I also loved that none of these bled or wandering beyond the lipline, which for a red gloss especially is fantastic. They were sticky, but not MAC Lipglass levels, and felt comfortable to wear despite that - you just need to be careful about your hair. Though not quite balm-like, the level of hydration was greater than what I normally get from most glosses, so that argan oil is really in there doing its thing.

There are 16 shades listed on the Italian Pupa website, though my press info only lists 11, so there may be some shades that are not available in Canada. There are also no names listed in my info, so I have added the ones from the site to their corresponding number. Just be aware that there may be variations if you are shopping in Europe versus Canada.

The three that I tried all performed similarly, so it's just a question of shade preference. The 300 Very Nude is a milky nude that is not so beige as to give me corpse mouth. Because of the milkiness, it can look a little streaky over bare lips, but over a lipstick, it finishes off the perfect Kim Kardashian nude lip. It was the least vinyl-like of the three, probably also due to that creaminess.

The 201 Pink Diamond has a sheer base with silvery-pink micro glitter. It's a lot less disco on the lips than I thought it would be, and great for topping off a deeper shade underneath. The 403 Shimmering Ruby is my favourite, a raspberry red with a teeny hint of shimmer. I love that it stays put and fades to a rosy stain.

Here are the shades in Natural daylight and in the sun. From top down: 403 Shimmering Ruby, 201 Pink Diamond, 300 Very Nude.

And swatched on my lips, same order. Looking at them in a row like that, I think I may have to revise myself and say that the 201 Pink Diamond is strangely appealing.

So what about you guys? Have you tried anything from Pupa? If so, what do you think? I am personally coveting the 50s Dream Spring collection. Hey, it's vintage themed AND they have a baby teal liner. I'm easy. ;)

Though the tutorial videos have played their part in sucking me in. I can watch that lovely man speak about makeup in Italian all day.

Availability: Most drugstores like Jean Coutu and Uniprix. (It doesn't appear to be online at eBeauty.com yet.) Price is 20$ CAD.

Pros: Super shiny finish, visual plumping effect, argan oil adds hydration. Pigmentation is good, and both the applicator and the formula make it easy to apply precisely and keep the lipline clean.

Cons: Moderately sticky finish. Sweet scent may be off-putting.

(The items were sent to me by the brand to consider for review. This post is not sponsored or compensated.)