I haven't had a whole lot of time to play with the shiny new stuff found in my February MercoBox box, but after doing some research, I learned that the sparkly powders by NS Minerals that were included are actually pigments that can be used for a variety of beauty purposes, including eye shadow, blush, etc. I pulled them out last week and spent some time face painting and creating new looks with the shimmery powders.
The medium-hued purple is definitely my fave (shade OR-7) - it's a universally flattering eye shadow that works around the clock. The first day, I wore it by itself and although the color lasted all day, it had lost some of its shimmer by bedtime.* The next day, I blended it into the crease above some matte pink shadow for a perfect daytime smoky eye - it's dark enough to provide the right amount of shading, but light enough that it's not too dramatic for lunchtime.
I was hoping that the coraly pink (shade SV-1) would also work as an eye shadow, but the hue was just a little off for my skin tone. However, I do think it would make a lovely blush for someone a little less pale.
The one thing I noticed about both pigments is that they're better applied directly with fingertips as opposed to make up brushes; while the brushes deposited the color okay, fingertip application definitely made the color more vibrant and shimmery.
Have you tried NS Minerals? Leave your thoughts in the comments, and check out their website to learn more about this local Utah company. Get the full scoop on MercoLocal and their February box in this post.
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*In the interest of full disclosure, I do wear Urban Decay Eye Shadow Primer Potion on a daily basis. I don't know how well these pigments last on their own, without a primer.