Product Reviews: New Eye Colors from RMS Beauty
GUYS! RMS Beauty has new(ish) colors. I adore both. Here’s what they’re like, and how I’ve been wearing them. Teaser: I did the perfect accidental smoky eye this weekend for a party. Read on for details.
Solar is a delicate and interesting gold color. Like the Living Luminizer, it isn’t teeny-bopper sparkly, but instead just luminous, the mineral pigments sort of bouncing light off your face and adding a warm and subtle glow, as opposed to a gold sparkle. Plus, because they’re oil based, like all of her products, they’re moisturizing and don’t cake in the lines above or below your eyes.
How I wear it: We believe that our fingers are the best makeup brushes out there, so I apply it that way for the most part. I’ve colored the lower part of my lid with this several days in a row and it makes my blue eyes positively pop. My favorite trick for night, though, is to use my ring finger to apply a light sweep of it under my bottom lashes, on the outside of my eye. With my eye tight-lined in black pencil, this looks so lovely! In the light it’s a little glam, but in normal lighting (meaning at a bar or restaurant, because that’s what I do most nights when I bother to put on eye makeup) it just adds a little light to my eyes. Bonus: I sort of have shadows under my eyes these days due to insufficient sleep, and drawing attention to the corner of my eye, as opposed to the bluey color over by my nose, makes me feel prettier. Finally, I’ve also used this as a highlighter on the outside of my eyes on the side, down to my cheekbones. This looks lovely! Oh, and one more thing: I’ve done the trick we’ve all tried with Lumizier: Dabbing a touch above my iris on the lid, to make my eyes look more awake. Love this trick, too.
Karma is as deep and intense as it looks, but more of a super-dark brown as opposed to a true black. I admit I was a little scared of this one. The pigment is rich and the color is dark and I’m more of a “Is she wearing makeup?” kind of girl, though I’ve been branching out lately.
How I wear it: I love a smoky eye and the other night I went to a birthday party with my boyfriend and decided to really sort of do it up. I used a stiff flat eye brush to apply this stuff in a thick line on the top of my eyelash line. It looked sort of Mad Men (though I didn’t cat-eye it out at the sides). Then, I applied a very light sweep of the stuff close to the lash line on my lid, with my index finger. On my bottom lashes, I used a regular black pencil to tight-line, then swept on a little Solar in the way I described above. I had a the instinct that as the night wore on it would gently bleed into the perfect smoky eye, and behold! That’s exactly what happened. It didn’t smudge or bleed or look messy—it just sort of migrated into dark-at-the-lash-line-smokey-on-the-lid perfection. I’ve also tried blending Solar and Karma together and, surprise, surprise, that looks amazing, too.
All righty! Both cost $28. Also, if you want to feel bad about yourself, you can see how a professional artist (the lovely RMS herself) applied to it a supermodel (the lovely Miranda Kerr) here.
Has anyone else tried these? Got any application tips I haven’t thought of?
They look so pretty, I still need to try their products :(
Everyone loves RMS and without trying them I know I will love it once I do.
Solar is new? I’m sure I’ve had mine for a year or so… Still, it’s a fave, definitely! I love the RMS eye colours in general, Solar and Lunar especially – you can use them for a breath of colour or you can build them for something much more intense. (Also agree the Solar makes blue eyes SO blue!) I use Magnetic when I feel like “doing” make up, as in when I don’t mind looking like I’m wearing some and it is, again, so easy to apply – definitely a more obvious colour but can be built to the intensity you want. I use my fingers or stiff brushes, it’s a super simple product to apply whichever way you choose. I keep hoping she will come out with a really neutral pinky beige as that’s what I miss most from my dirty make up days and I’ve found nothing in clean make up that is quite right – most shadows I like in formula are shimmery. :(
I’m tempted to add to my collection and try Siobhan’s look, sounds easy enough that I might be able to do it myself!
i also thought solar was kind of old now?
i tried karma but it made my lids look really heavy. i prefer seduce, its quite similar to nars “fez” and looks good with my dark brown eyes. thinking about getting lunar or solar next to brighten up my inner eyes, the luminizer is too obvious with my skin tone :(
@Naomi, the solar was gone for a while and brought back recently.
I got solar and karma recently, and I love them. I completely love RMS. I was never one for much makeup, especially eye shadows. But their stuff is so gorgeous and so multitasking. Lately I’ve been using these colors as eyeliner, outer half of upper and lower lid, either together or separately. If you are familiar with other RMS colors, the karma is much blacker than magnetic, but as Siobhan says not a true black. I love that because true black is too harsh on my pale skin. I really didn’t wear eyeliner on the lower lid until RMS. It always looked weird or got all smudgy, and with RMS if it gets a little smudgy during the day it actually looks really good. Lately I’ve not been wearing mascara at all, just using a brush/finger combo for application of the shadows as liners, then using living luminizer on upper lid and lashes. My small Alima brushes can really get the karma into the lash line so I feel like mascara would be total overkill. I have dark lashes to begin with, adequate but nothing special. There are some other lines of eye colors I like, but I find RMS the most inspiring. I hope they come out with a true grey one day!
Obviously RMS is the best. I’ve never actually tried their eye shadows though. I’m reluctant because when I put living luminizer on my lids, it creases like crazy and starts to look more oily than luminized… Do people find that the eye shadows really dont crease or look uneven or greasy?
Love RMS! However, the eye shadows crease on me within the first half hour after application :( does anyone have any tips as how to prevent this? I would hate to use a /dirty/ primer before applying the moisturizing RMS eye colors!
@Dylan Honestly, I do not get what is the deal with RMS eyeshadows. I have it in lunar. It creases badly within less than an hour of application, whatever I put under (primer) or over it (powder shadows). For the price, I would have expected something that stays put. I ended up using it as a highlighter on my face. I will not be repurchasing.
Talking of eyeshadow primer, has anyone tried Naked Elements’ (on etsy)? It’s the only clean one I can find. I still keep my dirty Urban Decay primer potion around for special occasions…
I used to get a bit of a crease sometimes and all I did was smudge it again, it was fine. Then I read that I’m supposed to apply directly to bare skin – no primer, no eye cram, no foundation / cover up, etc. It worked much better like this.
Solar did exist a while ago – but now it is back with a new color. I have mine on order – on the way now.
I LOVE RMS Beauty. I use the \un-cover\ as a foundation and my skin gets better every day. I have Lunar, Magnetic and Spark already in the eye shadows. They do crease on me but when I have worked it into my eye like an eye cream as they suggest – they don’t crease much and a simple pat makes it all better. My eyelids are much better after about a year of use as well. I received a sample of Karma with an earlier order and I use that as a liner on my lower lash line. I also use the luminizer and I use the lip2cheek as well – I have two colors (Rapture and Muse – extreme opposites) depending on my mood. I also use the coconut oil to remove my make-up and it has brought my eyelashes back to life. As you might guess – I highly recommend RMS Beauty.
@Dylan, maybe you are using too much luminizer?? I just dab it on gently, if too much goes on I just pat it with a clean finger until it’s right. I don’t find the shadows crease but they have to get smudged into the skin well. And like @Naomi says just smudge it again if it creases. I always use my Alima mineral foundation around my eyes before applying, otherwise my lids are super oily. The shadows do fade on me somewhat during the day, but makeup (other than foundation) that sticks all day kind of freaks me out – like there’s no way that could be natural!
@Rebecca, I might be using too much. I’ll try it tonight with less and rub it in more. I don’t like to put powder near my eyes because it really dries my already dry skin out :( and I don’t have oily eyelids naturally. Thanks for the tip! I’m hoping it works out for me because I would love to love RMS solar
I love RMS so much it hurts. and Rose Marie is such a lovely person! I have many of their products and just ordered solar! The living luminizer is one of my desert island products.
I love rms!! I have samples of these 2 eyeshadows and am planning to buy the full size of both! I think they are a must have! My technique is basically same as yours! Thanks for the tips on Solar! And i totally agree that Karma makes the perfect smoky eye!! (it is very nice to mix them both, as well)
Xo,
Clara
I am not a big fan of cream shadows in general (oily lids and cream shadows are not friends!), but I had to share that I just got a sample of un-coverup from Spirit Beauty Lounge and had to order the full size the next day! It’s amazing! My skin is sensitive and dehydrated, so I can’t really wear foundation without it looking like a dry mask and emphasizing every line. The only one that works for me is the SK II airbrush foundation (the one in the fancy, spraying contraption), but when I wear it I end up looking very “done”, plus it’s obviously completely not clean, so I only wear it for very special occasions. Un-coverup, on the other hand, just melts into my skin (everyone says that, but really: that’s what it does), evens it out and moisturizes. I have never in my life worn foundation during the day because it doesn’t look that great, is a hassle and makes my face feel icky, itchy and heavy. I’ve been smearing the Un-coverup on every morning and my skin looks and feels great. Also, the other night my husband stared at me and said “wow! Your skin looks airbrushed!”. So there’s that :)
I’ve managed to collect all the RMS colours (yes I do question myself about that sometimes :D). I have drier skin so I’m likely not the best judge regarding how it works on oilier skin, but a little really does go a long way with RMS products. I dab my finger in the pot, pat it on, and then blend. I do sometimes use a bit on my eyelids and yes I do get some creasing, but it’s so easy to simply pat away (unlike powders shadows which I find I have to rub if they crease). I apply the shadows in layers and I do go a bit heavier because I love eyeshadow colour to show somewhat. I have to say though that my skin has not felt this good in a long time. I have eczema and react to a lot of products (including natural) now, but I’ve had absolutely no problems with RMS products.
I put everything directly on my skin with maybe a bit of lip & skin balm on my drier areas. The new Solar and Karma do seem slightly drier textured than, for example, Seduce (brown), so you may have more luck with them. The Lip@Cheeks are absolutely amazing.
If you dab with a powder, it will usually set a cream shadow, and keep it from running.
That being said, I am OBSESSED with RMS. Her colours are SO good!
I use Uncover-up for all my covering needs, Luminizer to make my skin look awake (though I’m really pale, if I had darker skin I’d use Solar instead), and blush on my cheeks and lips. I hear she’s coming out with a brand new colour soon too!
Now if she could just make a mascara, I’d love her forever….
Wow, all this RMS talk, making me a believer! Just wanna add my two cents to say that it would be so awesome if maybe someday there could be an RMS Friday Deal. I’ve never used the products and feel like that would be a great way to start.
How have people found the un-coverup to work on oily skin? I usually use jojoba to moisturize and balance out my skin, can I wear un-cover up over that?
Sorry, I have no love for RMS Beauty whatsoever. Alima Pure offers far better eyeshadows and highlighters at a reasonable price, with more colour selections. And un-coverup simply does not deliver true coverage of dark circles and blemishes. Josie Maran’s concealer is much better, and works well on dry skin too.
@tranquil: I have oily-ish skin and use argan oil as a moisturizer. For me, RMS uncoverup works great on undereye circles and discoloration, but I don’t think it works very well to cover up blemishes (but, then again, not much does).
I also LOVE Vapour’ Organic’s primer (Stratus Instant Skin Perfector). It’s an amazing all-around primer, and works great as an eyelid primer with cream shadow, as long as you use both the primer and the eye shadow sparingly.
Love, love, love RMS! I can’t wait to try the two new colors and second the request for an RMS Friday Deal! For those experiencing crease troubles, I use the shadow just above the crease and blend. I use Spark as a bronzer and eyeshadow, and use magnetic and seduce as shadow. And I could not love my natural beauty routine if I did not have un-coverup or living luminizer. Thanks for the review!
@Emma, I’m a big Alima Pure fan too. I use their foundation and it’s the best I’ve found for all over, and for covering under eye circles and light to medium blemishes. I use RMS uncoverup with Alima on top if I have a really icky blemish. Alima’s eyeshadows/liners are beautiful and I have several. I just have trouble with the powder type so the RMS are my go-tos. I also love Alima blushes, and all my makeup brushes are Alima. I love both brands for different reasons.
I just picked up Karma a week ago and have been wearing it as eyeliner everyday! I usually have creasing issues with RMS when I’ve applied all over my lids (I think I’m also just naturally a bit “dewy” there), but used as a liner has been staying put all day. I’ve been applying with a thin liner brush close to my lash line and wait a few seconds for it to “set” before doing any serious blinking…for me it goes on like a gel liner. Overall, LOVE IT!
I’ve heard great things about RMS! I’ve been wanting to try the concealer forever, just haven’t pulled the trigger yet. I have never used a cream shadow. I’ve always used loose minerals. I’d be curious exactly how to use it as well! You should get some tips and post a healthy beauty tutorial! Happy Weekend!!! =)
I completely agree with Emma.. I honestly don’t see what the big deal is with RMS. I’ve tried the Un Cover Up, Muse, and Promise, and I was sadly disappointed in all of them. Un Cover Up did not cover anything and sat on top of my skin (even with minimal amount) and certainly did not moisturize, Muse was way too oily and did not show up on my skin at all. When used as eyeshadow (as Rose Marie suggests), it smeared all of my mascara due to its oily nature and creased badly. Promise was absolutely beautiful as a cheek color, but drying on the lips. Besides, I think the price is way too high for such basic ingredients. Burt’s Bees could probably recreate similar products for around $9.
Must add to the RMS love. Uncover-up is fantastic for evening out skin tone and covering up slight imperfections. I really like it for blemishes as well because it really blends that area with the rest of your face color-wise (and doesn’t look so obvious, like lots of really heavy concealers, that in my opinion draw even more attention to the area). I’ve never been a foundation wearer, and this, with living luminizer on the cheeks, is great for the few troubled spots I have. Also doesn’t cake and dry out my skin like those powder mineral concealers and foundations, which I can’t use at all, although I have combo skin.
As far as the shadows creasing- YES of course they crease! I should hope so! I’d much rather touch up my make up throughout the day than cover my eyes in toxins. (That said, make sure your lids are clean when you apply and staying power will be much better).
Another RMS fan here. I love Karma with Magnetic – I do a thickish, smudgy line of Karma with a pencil brush near my lashes, then smudge Magnetic over it and up into my crease. On a bare lid, these last pretty well for me: I get a bit of creasing but nothing a tap of a fingertip won’t fix. These are particularly good for dry lids.
I love the illuminizer and un- cover up! It looks so much better than the powdered mineral makeups. I am so pleased to have found RMS!!!