Origins’ new spring makeup colors remind me of the time I hiked through a thick bamboo jungle on the island of Kauai in Hawaii. Each nature-inspired shade harkens back to the tall stalks of bamboo that surrounded me, reaching high into the sky above, and the rich, brown earth beneath my feet.
The release contains four lush eyeshadows ($13.50 each) and one juicy blush ($17.50).
- Coral Reef Brush-on Color blush – pink-orange with a touch of gold sparkle
- Brazil Nut Origins Eyeshadow – gold-brown matte
- Sun Tan Origins Eyeshadow – warm beige matte
- Palm Tree Origins Eyeshadow – light khaki green matte
- Lemonade Origins Eyeshadow – cool beige-yellow shimmer
What to buy, and what to skip…
Girrrrl, I *hate* matte shadows, but I loved the mattes in this release. Brazil Nut, Sun Tan and Palm Tree are the best matte shadows I’ve ever used, hands down. I used to think I was missing a special makeup gene because for the life of me I could never blend matte shadows properly, but the creamy formula and smooth application of these shadows makes it very easy for even a klutz like yours truly to transition colors seamlessly into each other. No harsh lines, hooray!
Be warned: if you like intense eye color, then with these bad boys you’ll have to apply multiple layers. Brazil Nut reminds me of a slightly darker matte version of my holy grail MAC Soba eyeshadow, and Sun Tan is a perfect neutral shade for browbones. My favorite one, though, is Palm Tree, a rich khaki green that really made my brown eyes pop.
The color I expected to fall in love with, Lemonade, actually ended up being my least favorite eyeshadow of the bunch! Its grainy texture left me uninspired.
Last, but not least, there’s Coral Reef, a worthy addition to my blush collection. I know in the swatch above it looks a little sheer, but after a couple layers it produced that “I’m hiking through a bamboo jungle” flush.
Here’s a shot of me wearing Coral Reef…
On the eyes in this look I used Sun Tan on the browbone, Brazil Nut in the crease, Palm Tree on the lid and Lemonade in the inner corner of the eye. On my lips I used MAC Lychee Luxe lipglass.
I’m totally enamored with these shadows and think this natural look is going into heavy makeup rotation for the next few weeks. It might be winter outside, but at least I can feel like spring on the inside, yes?
The Origins spring colors will be available at Origins Retail stores, select department stores and online at Origins.com next month.
Are you ready for Friday? I sure am. Tomorrow night, El Hub and I are going to watch Cloverfield, the new monster movie. That should be … interesting. And hopefully this weekend, if it’s sunny and not too cold, I’m going hiking through the thick, bamboo jungles of Marin. Okay, just kidding about the bamboo jungle part, but I will look for a few nice waterfalls to admire (there are a few in Marin, who knew?) ’cause they’re the closest I can get to Hawaii right now.
I hope you had a faboo day and that you’re smiling.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Emilee says
January 18th, 2008 at 12:35 amThat’s a gorgeous blush! I might have to go take a look, although it’s not like I need another blush, haha.
Thanks for the swatches!
Amanda says
January 18th, 2008 at 8:58 amah, origins! This was my “gateway” brand of makeup, LOL. Before I lived in (or near) a large city, and way before the internet, basically my high school and college days, Origins was one of the few department store brands I could find! I did use some of their products for my wedding makeup, almost 6 years ago now. But it has been a while since I’ve gone to that counter. Maybe I should revist them…..the hubby’s family is all going to Hawaii in December for a week (we are doing the cruise to each island), so I’ll need some “jungle and tropical” makeup. 🙂
Evil Charity says
January 18th, 2008 at 9:31 amThat blush looks great on you! My skin tone is similar to yours, so I think I’ll make a note to myself to check it out next month.
Tell us more about this jungle hike in Kauai! Which part of the island was it? The man and I are going to Oahu and Kauai in April (YAY!)
Karen says
January 18th, 2008 at 10:04 amHi Emilee,
You are welcome! I’ve been wanting to build up my blush collection and this one is really pretty. It’s very easy to use, which I love 🙂 Happy Friday.
Karen says
January 18th, 2008 at 10:09 amHi Amanda,
LOL, yeah, I remember my “gateway brand” – ’twas Clinique, and I was 14. Just one tube of silver lipstick and I was hooked.
I’ve always wanted to do a cruise of the Islands but El Hub and I keep going back to Oahu cause that’s where his family is from. Which cruise line are you taking? I’ve done some writing for NCL, so you might end up reading something I wrote if you read one of those in-cabin books you get in your room, LOL.
Do you have any interest in learning how to surf?
TUPRNUT says
January 18th, 2008 at 10:20 amAnother beautiful blush!!
Funny.. I just got Lychee Luxe in the mail a week or so ago… it looks nothing like that on me… 🙁 It’s so bad my husband made a comment… “what’s on your lips?” I’ll have to play around with seeing how different lipsticks look underneath.
Karen says
January 18th, 2008 at 10:21 amHi Evil Charity,
I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE Kauai. It’s an amazing island. The trail I did was part of the Kalalau Trail, an 11-mile trail on the north part of the island. I only did part of it – hiked to Ke’e beach and then to Hanakoa falls and then back. It was hard trail (honestly, I didn’t antcipate it being so long!) but it’s a once in a lifetime experience and well worth the trek.
Another thing I remember seeing that I really liked was the Blue Room. It’s this freshwater cave pool where you swim to the back of the cave, and there’s something about the lighting of the cave that makes it look really blue and surreal, especially when you swim to the back of the cave. I’ve read that you can’t swim in it now, though, boo.
Have you guys started planning what you’re going to do yet? Or are ya just gonna wing it when you get there?
Karen says
January 18th, 2008 at 10:25 amAww, Tuprnut! That’s one of my slap-it-on-and-go Lipglasses! I actually got the color from my mom, LOL. She pairs it with a darker liner, Mahogany, which makes the color slightly darker.
Hmm, maybe your lips are more pigmented then mine. Or maybe they changed the color formulation? (My tube is kinda old). Have you tried “priming” your lips with foundation? For some weird reason I really want it to work for you.
And yes, that Coral Reef blush is fun. I am slowly but surely acquiring more coral blushes and I love every single pan!
AshB says
January 18th, 2008 at 11:58 amaah, nice post Karen! I’ve always wondered about Origins makeup, but never tried it beyond a lipstick/pencil thing that my mom had that I would play with and accidentally mash up when I was little. I used their moisturizers for a long time, though.
Amanda says
January 18th, 2008 at 2:57 pmWe are taking NCL! I think it is the only one that operates that time of year. I sent away for the brochure from the website already, but it has not arrived yet. Closer to, you will have to tell me what you wrote so I can make sure to read it. 🙂 My hubby and I went to Oahu/Maui for our honeymoon and did take surf lessons in Maui-very fun, but with the motion sickness (See purse post above, LOL) I got kinda icky feeling. I’m a littl worried about the cruisin’-we shall see.
Melissa says
January 18th, 2008 at 9:23 pmHey Girl!
I tried to comment on the purse post…but I’m not seeing it anywhere…
hmmm
Karen says
January 18th, 2008 at 11:49 pmHi Melissa,
It got kicked into the spam filter. A bunch of them did today, good thing I checked. Thanks for the heads up! Have a good weekend. 🙂
Karen says
January 18th, 2008 at 11:53 pmHi Amanda,
Oh for sure! Just leave me a comment when your trip gets closer and I’ll letcha know what the story is about. And if you need any non-motion Oahu recommendations I’d be happy to give you some of those too. One thing I did a few months ago that I really enjoyed was going to high tea at the Haleukulani hotel! So fun!
Karen says
January 18th, 2008 at 11:54 pmHi AshB,
You are welcome 🙂 The matte shadows are really super! I hope you like ’em.
I’ve used a few of their moisturizers, too. I really like Ginger Souffle (the one in the jar). Yummy!
Lisa says
January 19th, 2008 at 3:01 pmThank you for sharing these!! It’s been so long since they had new colors. And I love everything about Origins. I won so many of their products.
The swatches look great, but any chance you took a closed eye shot of the shadows? Just wondering. 🙂
Karen says
January 22nd, 2008 at 5:09 pmHi Lisa,
I do have a pic of the shadows. Do you want me to email it to you? Just let me know!
Lisa says
January 23rd, 2008 at 5:59 pmYes, Karen, I would love if you could email me the picture! That is so generous! 🙂