Makeup Forever Aqua Shadow - Review

I like shadow pencils. In all honesty, I actually like eyeshadows in general, but I really like shadow pencils, because they're awesome color bases and seem to be more creamy than potted cream shadows. When I discovered MUFE's Aqua Shadow pencils, I had to have one. After much internal debate, I decided upon an easy to wear neutral, 20E.

Aqua Shadows are a chubby pencil cream shadow. They are cased in black plastic, with a color coded cap and end, so you can easily tell which color you're reaching for. They retail for $20 on Sephora's website, and contain 0.14 ounces of shadow. Urban Decay's version is also $20, and contains only 0.1 ounces. From Sephora's website:

Aqua Shadow’s intensely pigmented, waterproof formula provides immediate, rich color that will not smudge, crease, or fade. Created with silica powder, its ultra creamy texture glides effortlessly on the eyelid and blends easily for an even result. Incredibly simple to use, Aqua Shadow quickly creates a multitude of dynamic and colorful looks.

I'm not totally convinced the shade I selected, 20E, is "intensely pigmented." It is pigmented, but no more or less than the UD 24/7 shadows I have. 20E is described as a "pearly taupe." It's a bit deeper than UD Sin, but lighter than Juju or Rehab. It's shimmery, rather than pearly to me. As a base, it's a great substitute for Sin, but they are different.

20E performs almost identically to Sin - it lasts a long time on my lids, blends well enough with my finger, and enhances the color of the powder shadow I put over it. The shadows appear a touch more rich and saturated, without any creasing after an 8 - 10 hour day.

Overall, I really like this pencil. They're a better value than the Urban Decay, and have a pretty good color range. If only there were multiple sources for them (as Sephora is the exclusive U.S. retailer for MUFE, where Urban Decay can be found in a multitude of stores). I also wish they'd give their colors names rather than numbers only, but I can live without, I suppose.

NARS Lhasa Eyeshadow - Review

NARS is one of those brands that puts out awesome stuff that I happily buy, and am constantly disappointed in. Usually, it's not because the product is bad - it's because it's just like something else that I own. Usually. I picked up Lhasa, a relatively new eyeshadow single, from Sephora.com, and was super happy to look at it in the pan. Swatched, it seemed sort of meh. On the lid, even worse.

NARS shadow singles are $24 for 0.07 oz of product, which isn't a terrible value. They come packaged in a sleek, soft-touch rubber compact, with a ridiculously sized mirror that is useful to no one. They look nice, though, as long as you keep the compact clean. Keeping it clean can be a challenge, which is why I typically store them in their boxes.

MAC Moth Brown on top, NARS Lhasa on bottom

Lhasa is a "lavender grey," according to NARS. I'm not inclined to disagree. I thought initially it may be close in color to MAC's Moth Brown, but it's not. Moth Brown is brown/lavender/grey, where Lhasa lacks that touch of brown.

So, it's pretty, it's NARS, and you get a decent amount of shadow. What's wrong? Well, it's crappy shadow. Seriously. Maybe mine was defective, or something, but I had to really work to get that swatch. Like, multiple passes over the shadow, and my wrist. Using my trusty MAC 239 to pat the shadow on my lid was equally bad - a brush that performs beautifully for 90%+ of the shadows I use it for, could barely make this shadow appear on my lid. Barely. No pigmentation, or a super-hard pressed shadow, I guess, were to blame.

I don't typically return cosmetics. I returned this. And I will definitely think long and hard about purchasing NARS shadows in the future.

Essence Stay All Day Long Lasting Eyeshadow - Review

I really like Essence. Almost everything I've tried from them has been pretty awesome at an insanely good price. I found an extremely empty display in my local Fred Meyer some time ago, and picked up one of their Stay All Day eyeshadows, in "Steel the Show."

I believe there were 4 - 5 different shades of this product, judging from the display. Of course, this shadow was the last one that hadn't been molested in some way. If I recall correctly, I paid around $3.

Packaged in a clear plastic jar, with a bubbled-screw top, these shadows look somewhat unimpressive. But, looks are deceiving.

"Steel the Show" is a taupe-tinged silver. It's not a color I would normally use, however, it looks great under any grey shadow I own. And, like Essence claims - it wears extremely well. Over UDPP, I can go 12+ hours without fading or creasing, when set with a powder shadow.

I found the texture of these to be interesting. They're very smooth, and very light. They're not tacky feeling at all. At first swatch, I was totally skeptical about how well they would work - I mean, it's so smooth feeling that my finger glides over it. I blend with my fingers, and can say it doesn't blend as nicely as I wish it would, but that's okay. I haven't found a cream shadow yet that blends well and provides the wear time that Stay All Day does.

I haven't seen any other colors or displays with this product at my Fred Meyer, and haven't checked my local Ulta.If you happen upon these, however, I'd grab them.

Sephora Prisma Chrome Eyeshadow - Review

Playing around on Sephora's website is a dangerous game. I qualified for their VIB program late last year, but never used my 10% off code (because I qualified during Friends and Family,and didn't need anything). I found I was able to still use the code in early February. Of course, using the code for the small purchase I made caused my total to drop below the threshhold for free shipping, and thus, I needed to find something else to make up for it. I had read Scrangie's post about Sephora's Prisma Chrome Eyeshadow, and decided to give one a try.

I chose Bronze Brilliance, since I love neutrals and bronzy tones. The reason these eyeshadows are different is how their pressed. It's not a flat surface. Instead, it's a raised, wavy shadow, which means the compact is super thick. The shadow is still powder, not cream, however. It just looks pretty cool. Sephora says:

The new wave in eye shadow, Prisma Chrome brings together the best features of baked, powder, and cream shadows. Its revolutionary effect captures light perfectly, delivering a prismatic effect with an unbelievably smooth and true color finish. 

Bronze Brilliance is a true bronze, and a bit less orange than MAC's Amber Lights, and more bronze than L'Oreal Infallible's Bronze Taupe, which is decidedly taupe in comparison. It's shimmery, and swatches well. Pigmentation on my lid could be a little better, though. I needed to pass my brush over the powder a couple of times. I use my MAC 239 to apply.

The shadow applies and blends decently. It's always hard to tell if my primer system is just super grabby or if a shadow is super draggy, but this shadow does not blend and move like a MAC Veluxe Pearl shadow, for example. I find myself having to revisit the pan more than once to get more product. I definitely see the baked influence in the way the powder acts when applying, but there's no fallout. I don't see anything resembling a creamy feel or finish, though.

I haven't had any creasing or fading with this shadow. It lasts all day on my lids without any problems.

These shadows cost $15, which seems like a pretty high price for a house brand, when MAC costs the same. The black shiny compact holds 0.12 ounces of shadow, while the standard MAC shadow is 0.04 ounces. Obviously, the Sephora is a better value.

Overall, this is a nice shadow, with an interesting shape. It's sort of sad that it's nothing super special, though, like the pressing would indicate - it performs much like any other powder shadow. I am not sure if I will purchase another one.