Swatches and Review of Makeup Geek Foiled Eyeshadows
At the end of 2014 Makeup Geek Foiled Eyeshadows released their new cream-to-powder, metallic eyeshadows. Makeup Geek reached out to me by sending the whole collection to try-out and play around with. Now that I've used them and tested them out I figured this was a good time do some swatches and a review of Makeup Geek Foiled Eyeshadows and let you know my thoughts.
Makeup Geek Foiled Eyeshadows
Now, time for the review...
Caitlin Rose – Bright amethyst purple with a foiled finish. This is a gorgeous violet color & is the least pigmented of the bunch. All proceeds from this color go to fight Batten disease. Center Stage – Bright royal blue with a foiled finish. This is less pigmented than the other colors & is a very fun bright blue. I don't reach for it often with my coloring, but it would look great on brown eyes and deeper skin tones. Flame Thrower – True brightened warm copper with a foiled finish. This is probably my favorite of the bunch. It's a very bright copper color that I feel can be worn as a liner, all over the lid, as a smokey eye or as a pop of color. Grandstand – Medium rose gold with slight taupe undertones and a foiled finish. This is a nice color if you like something a bit more subtle, since it's neutral, but still has sparkle. Houdini – Deep emerald teal green with a foiled finish. This is a spectacular color! I like that it's a deeper color and works well with so many looks. I like it best with a smokey eye. In The Spotlight – Soft pink with coral undertones and a foiled finish. I like this color as a highlight or as a wash of color on lighter eyeshadow looks. Jester – Bright mossy green with slight gold undertones and a foiled finish. This is a very fun color. I don't wear much green, but it's very pretty with a gold reflect which I think makes it more wearable. This would also look lovely on deeper olive skin tones. Magic Act – Light gold with yellow undertones and a foiled finish. When I first received these shadows I didn't think I would be too into this one, as it's a very light gold, but I ended up using it quite often. I like to use this as an inner corner highlight, as a center lid highlight with halo eyeshadow looks & I also like it as a cupids bow highlight. Mesmerized – Deep medium taupe with strong purple undertones and a foiled finish. I would slightly disagree with Makeup Geeks color description, as it is a very cool deep taupe, but I don't see "strong" purple undertones. This color is great for day-to-day looks and is very wearable. Showtime – Rusty brown with warm undertones and a foiled finish. I really like as a messy metallic smokey eye & find it's stunning when paired with burgundy shadows.
Pigmentation:9/10 The pigmentation of these shadows is quite good. You can get a lot of pay-off with one swipe with a finger. That being said, I tried a few different ways to apply them and I've found that using a clean finger to apply will give you the most pay-off. Using a synthetic flat brush (like a MAC 242) also can give good pay-off & you can apply it with a fluffy brush if you just want a hint of metallic sparkle.
Texture: 9/10 The texture is rather unique. It feels like it's a cream but it sets and blends like a powder. The closest shadows I own to this texture are ColourPop eyeshadows and Stila Magnificent Metals shadows. However, these Makeup Geek shadows are less "wet" feeling than the Colourpop and less flakey and more consistent than the Stila shadows. The texture is pretty consistent, however Caitlin Rose & Center Stage are more dry than the other colors.
Longevity: 7.5/10 I've worn these all day and have minimal fading. I do wear these with a primer, as with all eyeshdows I wear. I've found that thin layers are better than a really thick layer if you are prone to creasing. I did get some transfer on my right eye which the lid hoods over more, but that can be avoided if I use thin layers. Those with lids that aren't as heavy as mine will probably rate the longevity higher, but for those with hooded lids thin layers built up are best if you don't want any glitter to show up on your upper lid.
Price: 9/10 You get 1.8g of product for $9.00 (or a set of all ten for $89). This is a very pigmented and unique formula so I think the price is quite good. The pans are slightly bigger than a MAC shadow, which are 1.5g of product.
Packaging: n/a They are sold as pans, which I prefer since I can easily pop them in a palette rather than having a bunch of singles.
Colors: 7.5/10 I think the color selection is good for a launch of a new product. Six of the colors are quite wearable with only four that are more bold. They have a nice selection of color depth, which I appreciate since sometimes you want a metallic smokey eye with some color, but other days you may want a metallic highlight for a more subtle look. I also think seven of the colors will work for most skin tones, however Magic Act, In the Spotlight and Grandstand pull ashy on deeper skin tones.
Repurchase: Yes, I would purchase nine of the ten of these. I would pass on Center Stage, as it is one of the dryer textures, which still has good pigment compared to other shadow brands, but less than these & just not a shade I use often. Caitlin Rose, while less pigmented than others, can be built up with two layers and profits go to a good cause, so I would still buy it. Flame Thrower is my must-have as I love copper shadows. Flame Thrower, Houdini, Showtime and Magic Act are my most reached for and top picks.
Overall:
My overall thoughts of the Makeup Geek Foiled Eyeshadows are that they have a very cool finish and texture & would make a nice addition to your makeup collection. They are a pretty unique product in general, they have a good color range & are a fun addition when you want to add a bit of metallic sparkle to your look.
Swatches of the Makeup Geek Foiled Eyeshadows:
These swatches are on bare skin + clean finger.
No flash - Magic Act, In the Spotlight, Flame Thrower, Mezmerized and Grandstand
With Flash - Magic Act, In the Spotlight, Flame Thrower, Mezmerized and Grandstand
No Flash - Showtime, Jester, Houdini Center Stage and Caitlin Rose.
With Flash - Showtime, Jester, Houdini Center Stage and Caitlin Rose.
Have you tried the Makeup Geek Foiled eyeshadows yet? If you have, let me know your thoughts in the comments below & let me know your favorite colors!
-Rebecca
Disclosure: All products (other than Z Pallete shown) were sent to me as PR samples. Links within this post are affiliate link.
