As a beauty blogger there's seriously nothing more exciting than stumbling upon a product you've literally heard nothing about, taking it home, and discovering its a total gem. It's like getting to play beauty archeologist. You know, instead of uncovering the bones of what could be a new species of dinosaur you're scouting out products that might be the next big craze.
A few weeks ago I was perusing the makeup aisles at CVS, struggling to decide what I wanted to spend my Extrabucks on. It's funny because earlier this year I had the opposite problem. There were so many new launches hitting the shelves, and I had to seriously restrain myself from buying everything. But by now I'm sort of over the hype, and most trips to the drugstore have me feeling uninspired. I was on the verge of giving up and buying some toothpaste or whatever else I might need around the house when something glittery caught my eye. At first glance I assumed these duos were nail polish, which I wasn't all that interested in, but then I noticed that the picture next to them was of an eye.
An eye? I did a double take and walked over to further investigate. No, these weren't nail polishes at all. Before me was a rainbow of cream eyeshadow duos called the Revlon PhotoReady Eye Art. I was in serious disbelief that I had no idea these things existed. With glitter and metallic shadows being so in right now, how was it possible that people weren't talking about them? Was I just late to the party? Or had I stumbled upon one of those amazing underground bars only the locals know about? Either way, I was intrigued and after a long debate about which shades to buy, I picked two to take home.
The Revlon PhotoReady Eye Art are coordinating duos of cream eyeshadow and glitter that pack a seriously sparkly punch. The shadow has a smooth, metallic formula that can be built up or blended out and stays in place all day once it's set. The glitter can be worn as a liner, packed all over the lid, or even used to accent your eyelashes. There are 10 different shades available, each retailing for about $10.
My first thought after seeing these was that they're suspiciously similar to the Touch in Sol Metallist Liquid Foil & Glitter Eye Shadow Duos that Tati from Glam Life Guru has been raving about. Same concept, less than half the price (and a better shade range to boot). The two shades I decided to pick up were Burnished Bling (molten copper with burnished gold glitter) and Topaz Twinkle (silvery taupe with light multicolor glitter).
So let's take a closer look at this bad boy. On the cream shadow end you'll find a traditional doe-foot applicator. It's got a slightly more paddle-like shape which makes it pretty easy for you to swipe the product across your lid. To decrease the mess factor, I prefer to blend the shadow out with a domed synthetic brush, however you could also just use your fingers. The pigmentation was very good on both shades that I tried, and is really easy to build up to a totally opaque finish if that's what you're going for. It does stay wet for a minute or so, but dries down to a pretty budge-proof finish. Unlike cream shadows that stay creamy, I didn't notice that these creased or moved around once they set.
On the glitter end you'll find a brush tip applicator. It's a little bit chunky and cumbersome, which means that drawing a precise line will be a challenge. The glitter itself is also on the larger side, which doesn't lend itself to lining the way that the kind in the Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner does. Fortunately, the slightly larger applicator makes it really easy to swipe this glitter quickly and efficiently all over the lid. The wet base means that you'll get zero fallout, which, if you've ever used a loose glitter, can be the bane of your existence.
I do want to note one serious downside, though. I noticed that when I applied the glitter on my lid, especially if I was building it up and there was a pretty thick layer of product on my eyes, I felt a bit of a burning sensation. Once the glitter base had completely dried it went away, and I had no redness, swelling, or signs of irritation around my eyes. I'm thinking that the clear gel might have an alcohol base or something else that feels unpleasant around your eyes while its drying (especially if there is a lot of it). If you put on a very thin layer, wait for it to dry, and then put on another coat you'll be much safer.
Take home point: your eyes are very sensitive, and you always want to be conscious of possible allergic reactions. If you're wearing a product and 10 minutes later its burning, itching, or causing visible signs of irritation TAKE IT OFF. Considering that this sensation was temporary and I had no issues wearing this throughout the day, I didn't feel that this product caused me to have an allergic reaction. But I wanted to make you all aware of it, especially if you're prone to sensitivity with eye makeup.
How gorgeous are those swatches, though?? On top is Topaz Twinkle, and on the bottom is Burnished Bling. Having worn them both a few times now, I think I prefer Topaz Twinkle to brighten and lighten up the lid, while Burnished Bling is better for a sultry, smokey look. Curious as to what this product looks like IRL? I'm rocking this eye duo in Topaz Twinkle in my NYX Lip Lustre Lip Swatch video, which I also photographed for you here:
Honestly, I've gotten SO many compliments every time I've worn this product. In fact, I'm pretty sure no less than three of my coworkers ran out and bought one for themselves after seeing me test drive it one Monday morning. I really am shocked that more people aren't talking about these duos right now, especially considering that they're super affordable and on-trend. Long short, if you're digging the whole metallic/glitter eye look, I'd highly recommend checking these out!
Are you loving the glitter eye trend?
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