rouge bunny rouge caliche, eyes wide open, serene light

I may not own a lot of their individual eyeshadows yet, but I’ve got to say…Rouge Bunny Rouge really gets it right with their Raw Garden eyeshadow quads. You’ve met Antigo, now let’s have a look at Caliche.

The colours in this quad are on the cool side of neutral. Even though I have trouble pulling off cool shades, the darker colours in this palette (especially the plum) make it surprisingly flattering and wearable on my skin tone.

Speaking of wear, Caliche – like its predecessor Antigo – is a necessity for anyone who needs to create understatedly elegant (read: work appropriate) eye looks in 2 minutes flat and possesses little to no makeup application skills. In fact, so forgiving are the formulas, colours and finishes of these shadows that you can apply this gem with your fingers in a poorly-lit moving vehicle and still end up with excellent results. Ask me how I know.

What I truly love about this palette is that blending is a snap as the satin shadows meld together so seamlessly on skin. Not having to work for a polished eye look is fantastic for sure, but that these shadows save me from blending my dry winter skin raw makes them deserving of a medal. While my favourite way to wear this quad is in a tulip placement, you can absolutely wear the colours more softly and subtly. I’m just a bit of a drama queen…and a multi-tasker. This is my entry for day 3 of the December makeup challenge!

This quad was generously sent along with two other new products from Rouge Bunny Rouge’s lineup: their Eyes Wide Open Brightening Liner Duo in Glacier Flower, and their Serene Light Skin Perfector.

I have to admit to being a little underwhelmed when I first saw the Liner Duo. I was all, “okay, concealer and illuminator…what’s new here?”

Um, the texture. The texture is what’s new.

It took precisely ONE use for me to fall in love with this liner. The illuminating side is lovely and I’ll get to that in a second, but first let’s talk about the concealer side which is intended to be used on your waterline to open up your eyes. I honestly have never encountered such a soft waterline pencil in my life. Which is weird if you think about it, because why do other companies make sharp, stabby pencils for the most sensitive parts of our face? Who knows. But this liner kills anything out there, and if you like enhancing the size of your eyes with makeup then this is something you need in your life. Buy it as a Christmas gift to eyeballs.

The highlighting end, made to be used under your brows and on the inner corners of your eyes, is less unique to the market but top notch in terms of quality of texture. I have something similar from NYX, but this just laps it. It’s creamy, blends out evenly and doesn’t look chunky even on the very textured parts of my inner eyelids. I like using it on my cupid’s bow as well, since the pointed end makes it perfect for precise application.

Lastly I tested the Serene Light Skin Perfector. According to Rouge Bunny Rouge, it’s described as a sheer and only subtly tinted primer that promises a face which looks fresher, more radiant and naturally luminous without any complicated strobing or highlighting techniques.

I initially hoped I’d be able to use this as a light base but it almost completely disappears into my skin. It’s got even less pigmentation than their tinted moisturizers, so although someone with flawless skin could probably get away with just this and some concealer, I need a bit more coverage.

Just from the swatches you can see how much light this reflects, and how lush and hydrated it makes skin look. For the record, this was shot in fairly soft daylight – not with a flash.

My favourite way to use it is actually as a mixing medium for Rouge Bunny Rouge’s Skin Soul Drops (which I’m on my second bottle of) and I’ve also had good results mixing it with Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer. While it also works as a primer and can be worn under a full layer of foundation, I honestly find it best as a sheering/sheen-boosting mixer to foundation concentrates.

If you’re interested in these or any of Rouge Bunny Rouge’s other beautiful offerings, feel free to use my Friends & Family code RBR-EMILYLOKE20 for a 20% discount. For the record, I don’t make any commission or benefit in any way whatsoever from you using my code, I’m just sharing it so you can save some money on your order!

 

This post features products that were provided as press samples, however all opinions and observations are my own and not influenced by the brand or its PR team.