The Imagined History of James K. Polk, Curling and Maybelline Eye Shadow

Today I bring you a history lesson. From the arctic tundra that is Canada comes an eye shadow so smooth so silky it's too good to be sold in the United States Of America! Yes. that's right ladies. Maybelline is not selling ALL of its products to Americans! American taupe lovers are not able to buy their EyeStudio by Maybelline #50 Taupe Temptress eye shadow quad. It sure does seem unfair that Canada has eye shadow that the US doesn't. Oh those sneaky Canadians. When will this passive aggressive war between these two wonderful countries end? Now it's eye shadow and liner but first it was stealing our national past time of Curling. I bet you didn't know that before Canada stole it from America, Curling was the most popular sport in America. Yep. After losing Curling, Americans resorted to Football. The infamous Washington, DC Stonewall Jackson Curling Team packed up in the middle of the night and moved to Saskatchewan, Canada. The President at the time, James K. Polk, was so infuriated that he banned Americans from saying the phrase "Eh?", which while unconstitutional, was approved by Congress and that's how Americans started using the word "Dude". Thanks a lot James K. Polk.*

So where was I?

Oh yes.

Maybelline and taupe eye shadow. Jinath (a.k.a. J) from The Mighty J Blog sent me a little gift. She included 2 things I really needed, a Navy Blue and a Plum colored pencil liners, but she also included several eye shadows. One of which was this little quad from Maybelline. EyeStudio By Maybelline in #50 Taupe Temptress. How could Jinath NOT get this for me? I'm sure that the second she saw this name she was like, "OMG I have to get this for Elvira, Eh?"

(Now I don't feel bad saying this because while it was a gift from J and I know she is probably reading this, she knows that I don't hold her responsible for the quality of Maybelline eye shadows. J also knows that I think she is the most awesomeness girl in Canada because she sent me some super fab makeup out of the kindness of her heart, That's always awesome.)

The Maybelline shadow itself is just OK. I have no idea how much this Eyestudio quad costs but I'll wager it's somewhere between $8 and $10 USD. Either way I wouldn't pay that more for it. The pigmentation is fair. It's not too sheer but not overly pigmented. The shadows are VERY soft and somewhat powdery. There is an overspray

(as you can see fairly evident with the darkest shadow in this quad) but I much prefer the shadow without the overspray anyway. The colors are a sheer pearly white, a warm reddish pink, a neutral brownish taupe and a dark black based burgundy. The lasting power of this shadow is a little less than good. It seemed to fade on me by noon and by the time I got home (about 10 hours after application) it was pretty much gone...but I have other shadows that act the same. Can I complain? Of COURSE! But not all shadows can last forever.


Now the eyeliner that J sent is another story. The liner is from a brand called Annabelle. Annabelle "...is a Canadian makeup brand driven by its passion for colour and texture." You know how I knew it was Canadian? The U. The U in coloUr is a dead giveaway. Available in 6 different shades, I got Purple Storm, which is a nice plummy purple with a slight metallic sheen. Annabelle's Smudge Liner is soft and well pigmented and smudges really well, but here's the trick. Once it is smudged it seems to stay that way for a good amount of time. The liner did not fade on me during the day and only seemed to smudge more when I accidentally rubbed my eye at the end of the day. So all in all, a decent liner. I really love the color and the softness. The only complaint I have is that the liner would not go on my waterline at all. Perhaps it's not intended to go on the waterline.

I think that the Maybelline EyeStudio Quads will be available in the US for the Spring, but the Annabelle line isn't as far as I know. If anyone has seen Annabelle in the US, please post a comment here and let us know. Until then, in order to get these items, you will have to hitch a ride with the groups of Seniors Citizens crossing the border to buy cheap medications in Toronto. Come on. It will be fun. You can learn all about Madge's Sciatica, Herb's Lumbago, hear about how Earl's kids never call and agree that there are never enough of the large print Dean Koontz books in the Senior Recreation Center for everyone. Ahh. Fun Times.

*all statements about Canada and James K. Polk are completely false, a joke, parody, a farce, etc.