Autumn Eyes from The Body Shop: Colour Crush AW14

Ok, so I know that as soon as the cold weather hits, I’ll be all, “Brr I can’t wait for Summer.” But right now I’m all over AW14. Layers, scarves, opaque tights, chunky knits, not having to defuzz or tan… Don’t get me wrong, I love sunny skies. But I’m so over the EFFORT of getting pasty, hairy skin summer-ready. Autumn is the lazy fashionista’s time to shine. And the colours, OH THE COLOURS. Rich reds, golds, mustards, chocolates. So cozy and comforting. Speaking of, the AW14 Colour Crush Eyeshadow collection from The Body Shop totally epitomises this. Think falling leaves, bonfires and hot chocolate. Delish.

190 Sunshine Love, 360 Gold Rosemance

125 Champagne Kiss, 260 Golden Cinnamon

245 Coco Deluxe, 240 Gorgeous Gold

The Body Shop Colour Crush Eyeshadow Swatches L-R: 245 Coco Deluxe, 260 Golden Cinnamon, 360 Gold Rosemance, 125 Champagne Kiss, 240 Gorgeous Gold, 190 Sunshine Love

Just look at those colours. That rich chocolate brown, the vibrant cinnamon, pretty shimmery rose and champagne, and the MUSTARD. The pigmentation of Sunshine Love, for a matte shadow, is unreal. Better than the shimmer shades. And buttery soft.  Though none of these shadows disappoint, being pigmented, soft and blendable. I’ll be popping into The Body Shop to check out the rest of the range for sure.

360 Gold Rosemance is the ideal inner corner of the eye brightener, being not too stark white to be, well, stark. Just gorgeous and illuminating. 125 Champagne Kiss is a workhorse all over the lid shade that I’ve been reaching for again and again. Subtly gold toned and perfect for everyday wear, especially paired with a matte light taupe like MAC Omega in the crease to contour. While some may steer away from the yellow and red toned shades for fear of myxomatosis eyes, these colours are truly stunning. They will contrast against light coloured eyes like blues and greens, and deepen browns. Just make sure to either keep them away from the water/lashlines and have a definite black/brown liner. See my EOTD below if you’re unconvinced/intrigued.

Speaking of liner, The Body Shop also have a new one for you to try – Smoky 2 in 1 Gel Liner for Eyes and Brows. Now, let me state the obvious. These will be going nowhere near my brows. Firstly, even with my dark brown hair, neither of them are suitably toned for dark haired ladies, the black being too dark and pigmented, the brown being too deep and red. Shades of taupe are more suited to brows. However as eyeliners, they’re fabulous.

The Body Shop Smoky 2in1 Gel Eyeliner Black, Brown

While billed as a gel, I find this to be more of a cream formula. Not that I’m complaining, I love cream liners for their ease of use and correction compared to gels. The liners are creamy, pigmented and very longlasting. They dry quickly, but not so quick that you can’t fix a mistake before it sets. Perfect for the hamfisted such as myself. Once it sets, it won’t budge until faced with an oil based makeup remover. Perfect if you’re caught out in a shower, as they laugh in the face of water alone. To top it all off, the provided brush isn’t half bad either, definitely usable. In fact I used it to create my EOTD below.

Here’s the steps I took in creating this look. Apply as follows:

• 360 Gold Rosemance in the inner corner, up towards the brow bone
• 125 Champagne Kiss all over the lid
• 240 Gorgeous Gold on the centre of the lid
• 190 Sunshine Love on the outer third of the lid
• 260 Golden Cinnamon on the outer V blended to the crease
• 245 Coco Deluxe on the outer V to darken
• 190 Sunshine Love again to blend the crease edge
• 245 Coco Deluxe on the outer third to the centre of the lower lashline
• 190 Sunshine Love from the centre to just before the inner corner of the lower lashline
• Line and add mascara and you’re done!

What do you think ladies, are you feeling all autumnal this weather? I need more AW makeup suggestions! Enable me please