A perfect brown eye shadow is probably one of the most important and also the most versatile item in your makeup toolbox. Ameli Cake Eye Shadow could just be…dare I say it…the one?

If you’ve never heard of Ameli, like me, the following blurb on the Vanity Box website says it all:

It is an online only business(lower product costs compared to store front retailers) and has only recently opened to end customers(2008), prior to that they only specialised in providing cosmetics for make up artists. They have been gaining immense popularity over the past 2 years, recently winning the best cosmetics site award(In Style Korean Magazine). Having reviewed their products, we feel that Ameli eyeshadows are an excellent buy as they have a range of colours similar to that only found in branded cosmetics and is of equally superb quality. Ameli’s products also come in a generous amount, i.e – their eyeshadows come in twice the amount of content compared to a majority of brands –  at affordable prices. You can read more about Ameli here.

When Vanity Box said they would send me some of their Ameli makeup for to review, I was sceptical. For makeup, I’ve always operated under the rule that price indicates quality (with exceptions when they come from Asia!). When I saw Vanity Box’s reasonable prices, I really didn’t expect the quality to be spectacular. But when they arrived, I fell in love with them immediately! I love the simple but cute packaging, and I’m a stickler for products that are wrapped in layers! I like the anticipation 🙂

The compact itself is super cute.

But enough about the packaging. What I really want to talk about is how great this product actually is! This is a seriously buildable eye shadow. Very pigmented and yet can can be blended or smeared to lighter tones if needed.

Here’s my look, using only Ameli eye shadow, liquid eyeliner and Licca False Lashes (I’m also wearing Ameli Shiny Cake Blusher, but more on that next time!)

 

• Highly pigmented and yet completely blend-able to various shades of barely there or full on deep brown
• Perfect for achieving a smoky-eye look
• One eye shadow can do it all – no need for a mid or light tone brown to create a gradation
• Due to the pigmentation, this could double as an eyeliner if applied with a damp eyeliner brush
• Matte with no glitter shimmer so versatile for day and night
• Generous portion, not that you’ll need it, as a little goes a very long way
• The price is a steal, on sale now at $10 each!

• More like powder eye shadow than pressed, so can be a bit messy if you don’t tap off your brush before application
• Size of compact is on the big side, about the same size as the Napoleon Colour Disk, so not really made purse friendly– but then I don’t really pack eye shadow in my bag anyway

I genuinely love this product and it’s already become one of my go-to items!

Stay tuned for my review of Ameli Shiny Cake Blushers and my 7 day coordination project with items form Vanity Box’s apparel range!

This review is sponsored by Vanity Box (http://vanitybox.com.au). They are based in Australia (yay!), but they ship internationally as well! They are still quite new, having only been around since 2010, but with their amazing products, excellent customer service and super fast shipping, I can tell they are going to be the next big thing. But there’s definitely something special about this retailer that gives them an edge against other more established online stores. Unlike some Asian fashion retailers, Vanity Box doesn’t ‘cattle drive’ their stock. You get a feeling from the effort they put into their well built website and excellent product descriptions that they are passionate about everything they sell. Also I might mention that the store owner is a dear!

This description on their website:

Beginning in mid 2010, Vanity Box is an online boutique store focusing on chic and trendy Korean fashion wear and Korean cosmetics. At Vanity Box, we aim to provide a pleasant shopping experience. Our motto is to provide quality yet affordable products without compromising our service. Vanity Box is the only foreign supplier of Ameli cosmetics, a new contender in the Korean market with a strong following online.