Wednesday, September 29, 2010

The Pari Beauty Experience: Review, Swatches, Photos

Awhile back, I stopped at a makeup cart in Valley Fair called Pari Beauty. I was excited by all the products and shades they offered at such a tiny little cart. They had rows and rows of blushes, pressed eyeshadows, and mineral eyeshadows to choose from -they reminded me of a compact, mini-MAC all stuffed into one cart. This turned out that this is the only Pari Beauty "store" in the United States (it's a Canadian brand.) In all the excitement, I bought the eyeshadow/blush palette for $45. She also told me she'd give me 2 more eyeshadows for free but I opted for a primer and lipstick instead.
First, I have to tell you that their refillable palette sucks. My other palettes including MAC and Coastal Scents work better. If the palette is open and I tilt it to the side or upside down, all the pans come falling out. If they want to go into the business of selling empty palettes to be filled up with eyeshadow and blush pans, they need to start bumping up the quality and add stronger magnets.
Now for my thoughts on the actual eyeshadows and blushes?
Eyeshadow:
The eyeshadows are decent -I'd say better than drugstore (Maybelline, Revlon, etc.) but not as good as high-end (MAC, LORAC, NARS, etc.) I have to swatch 2-3 times to get good color payoff but the pigmentation is there, the eyeshadows are smooth and soft, and they last long with a primer. Without a primer, they'll fade over time.
The Color:
1. ES 59- Dark, silvery slate blue with shimmer.
2. ES 54- Medium slightly plummy purple with gold shimmer. To me, it looks like a not-as-shimmery version of MAC Trax.
3. E 12- Warm bronzed brown with golden shimmer.
4. E 14- Medium tanned beige champagne with shimmer.
Blush:
I bought the palette mainly for the blushes. I really loved the colors and they have excellent color payoff. The downside is that (on me), they don't last long at all -about 2-3 hours tops.
The Color:
1. BO 14- Warm red with a golden iridescence and shimmer.
2. BO 08- Light but bright peachy salmon orange with shimmer.

Swatches..
Above (no flash) from left: ES 59, ES 54, E 12, E 14.
Above (no flash) from left: BO 14, BO 08
The first thing that drew me in was the lipstick collection. I saw lots of nude and pink options that were too pretty to resist. I ended up walking away with a nude lipstick in LS 46 Flesh, which is a light pink nude with a satin-y finish. On my hand, it looked fairly pigmented but on the lips, no color would show up at all! I may have to wear some concealer on my lips to make this work.

As for the quality, this obviously isn't pigmented so I can't tell you how long it wore for (I couldn't even see it on my lips even when I first applied it.) It felt decent on my lips -neither moisturizing nor drying. That being said, this was a complete dud as when I use a lipstick, I expect color.

The Precious Glow eye primer was my favorite. I got it in 02 Platinum which is a shimmery, pearly white with a pink edge. I usually use non-shimmery primers but this adds some extra sparkle to my eyeshadows. I also like to use this as a highlighter for on my browbone and cheekbone. This can also be mixed with lotion or foundation for some "glow" to the entire face.

Above (no flash) from left: LS 46 Flesh Lipstick, Precious Glow in 02 Platinum.
How does it compare to my other primers?

I could never wear Precious Glow alone with no other primer underneath. It does not last all day like UDPP, TFSI, and MAC Paint Pots do. When I did a "test" on my hand, Precious Glow (with eyeshadow on top) was easily removed with a baby wipe while the UDPP, TFSI, and MAC Paint Pot (each with eyeshadow on top) needed lots of makeup remover. UDPP did the best in terms of helping the eyeshadow's pigmentation while Precious Glow came in second.

Above (no flash) from left: UDPP, TFSI, MAC Paint Pot, Precious Glow, & (at top) no primer. I used LORAC Cappuccino on top of each primer.
I was also given some empty single blush and eyeshadow compacts in case I didn't want to carry the entire palette. The singles are 100% more convenient than the palette because of the palette's terrible magnets.
I was also given a sample of the Balancing Foundation in 52. I've only used it 3 times (since it is a sample) but so far, no breakouts or irritation. The foundation is medium-heavy coverage and really helps with my forehead problem (my forehead is 2-3 shades darker than the rest of my face and most foundations tend to make it look ashy or gray.) Also, the lasting ability is good -I've worn it for up to 6 hours so far.
I'm contemplating going back for this foundation -it really does make my skin look "almost flawless" but I'd still like to shop around for a better foundation. Even though it's the best I've tried (for my forehead), it still does look a tiny bit ashy (on my forehead.)
 Above (with flash): Balancing Foundation

Overall: The 2 things that irritate me the most about Pari Beauty are the terrible palettes and the fact that most the shades don't have names -they go by letter/number combinations. Also, better staying power and even better color payoff wouldn't hurt (for the eyeshadows, blushes, and lipsticks.) My favorite part about the line was the variety and the fact that the products didn't irritate my sensitive skin. I really liked the primer and foundation but all the other products were only so-so for me. I ended up returning the palette and got my $45 back ..but I was in luck! She let me keep the primer and lipstick "as a gift" -probably a little trick to get me to come back.
If you're ever in the Bay Area and want to try out some new cosmetics, I'd give them a try. You may find a thing or 2 that are worthwhile and they do offer some really good deals. I got 4 eyeshadows, 2 blushes, 1 lipstick, and a refillable palette for just $45 (a steal compared to most high-end brands.) Individually (at this particular cart), the eyeshadows are $11, blushes are $12.50, primer is $15, and lipstick is $12.

9 comments:

  1. I've never heard of this brand! Cool haul!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This is a brand made for professional makeup. It works very well!

      Delete
  2. I think your skin looks really nice in the photo! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. i tried the brand also and agree entirely the palette's are not the best quality. thanks for the review, i also love their foundation it compares to Christian Dior's nude foundation, really great, natural looking. I find MAC really yellowish and this one so far works the best!

    ReplyDelete
  4. @ Anonymous.. I tried that foundation awhile back -I really liked it but the color was all wrong for me. Glad you like the Pari Foundation too.. plus it's MUCH cheaper than Dior!

    ReplyDelete
  5. This is an amazing brand, not just because of its amazing quality but because there are so many great promotions and the prices are fantastic! You can not compare this new brand to MAC,Nars..This is a growing company and I assure you, you can only expect the products to get better! I work for the company and it is amazing being apart of such a fresh and new company! I LOVE PARI BEAUTY!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Nice stealing of MAC's packaging style. Cant you monkeys come up with your own design? I have tried this only because I got free samples.

    I would not even waste my money on the low grade mineral pigments use that never stay on.

    The cap for the precious is so loosely made that it NEVER STAYS ON hence getting the stupid teenager sparkles all out and over my bag.

    There are enough companies trying to fake the mineral trend. Save your money. PARI BEAUTY SUCKS.

    ReplyDelete