Make is an American makeup brand that launched last year by makeup artist Sam Addington. I first saw the products at Barneys and was immediately taken by the modern and very graphic packaging and the promising colors. Unfortunately, the aggressive sales approach at the beauty and fragrance department in the Madison Avenue store has become so intolerable that I couldn't bring myself to linger at the counter, and just made a mental note to explore further.
But this is not a rant about Barneys. Make deserves our attention for the vision and execution of statement makeup with a very artistic edge, such as the Post-Impression collection that was the result of partnering with photographer Erik Madigan Heck (even if you're not familiar with the name, you've seen his work in major magazines).
Post-Impressionist landscape of the Hudson River by Erik Madigan Heck |
The stunning Post-Impression palette includes five matte eye shadows: Thunder (murky charcoaled navy), Midnight (deep navy), Storm (my favorite, an almost teal dark blue), Hudson Green (hunter green), Poison Oak (deep forest green), one satin finish eye shadow (Acid- kind of mustardish yellow), and two silk cream lipsticks: Scarlet Oak (an orange red), and Velvet Noise (burgundy). The colors are simply stunning, intensely pigmented and easy to work with. These are dark and stormy colors, meant to create looks such as these:
Both photos by Erik Madigan Heck |
The lipsticks are matte and semi opaque. You can build them up for a full coverage, but I prefer a lighter application. The lipsticks are a little dry, so prepping and priming the lips is mandatory. Since you must apply these colors with a lip brush, the result is elegant and log-lasting.
The one issue with putting powder and cream products in the same palette is cross-contamination. This Make palette comes with a plastic insert you absolutely must keep and use in order to keep tiny blue flecks out of the lipsticks. It's annoying and makes me wish they'd come with separate eye and lip Post-Impression palettes. But as long as I'm being careful and tidy things remain reasonably clean, and I do adore opening the palette and playing with it.
Bottom Line: stunning.
Make Post-Impression Palette ($40) is available at select Barneys locations, barneys.com, and directly from the company's website, weseebeauty.com, where 33.3% of each purchase will directly benefit the WE SEE BEAUTY Foundation, a non-profit organization that funds women-led co-ops in the US.
The product for this review was sent free of charge by PR.
One of my main issues with the cosmetics section at that Barneys is that they seem to have so few brand-dedicated people at the counters. I've encountered the same floater at 2 different cosmetics counter and 1 skincare counter on different days. When I'm decided on products from new brands (and even old brand), I like to know that the MUA knows the products inside and out and knows what they're talking about. If you work on every brand in the store, how can you offer that expertise?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I digress. I've been lusting after this collection because of the teal and plum look, but I've been hesitant to buy it for several reasons, despite the surprisingly reasonable price for the palette (especially when you consider how much they are to buy separately). I just wonder if I'd wear such dark colors often enough. I'd love to see how you translate this into a daytime look!
Shani x
She Dreams in Perfect French
P.S. I must have been half asleep when I wrote that. Yikes, all the typos!
DeleteBeautiful but I completely agree with cross-contamination with lipsticks and eyeshadows in the same palette - unfortunately I'm not organized enough to keep things pristine, so I'll have to pass sadly on this palette.
ReplyDeleteI want those eyeshadows so much (I have been on the hunt for a true matte navy eyeshadow for some time now) but I really late lipsticks and shadows in the same palette. I'll have to go check to see if I can buy them separately.
ReplyDeleteI have been looking absolutely everywhere for an honest review of MAKE cosmetics. I never buy without reading reviews as I don't have a whole lot of money, and when I'm gonna drop $25 on a single shadow I want to be sure I won't regret my decision. This post is the ONLY review I could find of MAKE shadows, and thank you so much for keeping it honest and posting tons of pictures! I can't believe it's taken me this long to find a blog like this- you've made me a fan for life! Thank you for writing!
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