Thursday, August 2, 2012

Don't Go Glammy

When I saw the Essence Stay All Day Long Lasting cream eyeshadow in Glammy Goes To... (02) on Cherie's blog, I was immediately intrigued. I wasn't aware that Essence had a range of cream eyeshadows in their permanent collection. The limited edition Eye Soufflé in Pas Des Copper is one of my absolute favourite products, and when I spotted Glammy Goes To on display at Target, I picked up the last pot hoping it would be more of the same. There wasn't a large shade selection (I might have also taken home Coppy Right, but there weren't any left), and I wasn't particularly interested in the cool, silvery colours or darker metallics.




Swatched on my hand, Glammy Goes To looks like a goldish, light taupe shade. However, when applied to my eyelid, it resembles more of a super shimmery dirty yellow gold. I was also disappointed that the texture wasn't the same as Pas Des Copper, considering they're both cream eyeshadows made by Essence. I found the Stay All Day to be patchy and difficult to apply evenly with enough pigmentation, without it looking overly frosty. Once you pack on the colour (which you kind of have to, unless you want a barely noticeable, light shimmery wash), it starts looking scaly and extremely frosty. Definitely not recommended for those with dry eyelids. In comparison, the Eye Soufflé is much smoother and easier to blend, and generally a more flattering, wearable colour. The packaging of the Stay All Day eyeshadows is also a lot less sleek, with the thick, rounded lid. On the plus side, the lasting power does live up to its name.


I thought to compare Glammy Goes To with my other cream eyeshadows and the closest shades I could find to it in my collection. It's not as nicely textured as the Maybelline Color Tattoo 24 Hour eyeshadows in Bold Gold and Bad to the Bronze, which are much easier to blend and not patchy when applied. Surprisingly, I discovered Glammy Goes To is almost an exact dupe of L’Oréal Infallible eyeshadow in Sahara Treasure, though Sahara Treasure is not as aggressively shimmery and slightly less yellow. The taupe in the L’Oréal HiP Metallic Shadow Duo is also similar, but darker and more brown/bronze.

l-r: Glammy Goes To, Pas Des Copper, Bold Gold, Bad to the Bronze, Sahara Treasure, taupe in Electrified

l-r: Glammy Goes To, Pas Des Copper, Bold Gold, Bad to the Bronze

l-r: Bold Gold, Bad to the Bronze, Sahara Treasure, taupe in Electrified

It's clear from the similarity to Sahara Treasure and the taupe in the Electrified duo that I'm drawn to shades like Glammy Goes To, but I've finally come to accept that they don't really flatter me. As much as I love the look of Sahara Treasure, both in the pot and swatched on my hand, something about how it applies to my lid never seems to work. I think slightly darker, more bronze-leaning shades (like Pas Des Copper and Bad to the Bronze, if only the latter was less frosty) are more wearable options for me. Notwithstanding the shade, I have to say the Stay All Day cream shadow was a bit of a letdown for me, as it tends to apply unevenly and is blindingly shimmery if you want to build up the colour. An intensely shimmery eyeshadow that really lasts isn't necessarily a bad thing, just not what I was after.

51 comments:

  1. Ah it's a shame that you don't like this :( I hate it when products let you down! It's also a shame when things you like don't suit you. Heartbreaking :(
    I love the look of this though, it looks like proper mousse haha!

    xoxo

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    1. I know, I had high hopes and it looked so promising - I guess it just wasn't meant to be! I don't think I've learnt my lesson just yet when it comes to continuing buying the same items that continue to disappoint me, lol :p

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  2. Thanks for the swatches! The colours look really nice and pigmented! x

    http://kreamiblush.blogspot.com

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    1. They're all very nicely pigmented shades :) Though most of them are a bit more frosty than I'd like.

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  3. Agghhhhh I wish I'd caught Pas de Copper while I could! The texture looks unreal. I haven't touched Glammy Goes To for ages. While I like the fact that the colour's a dupe for Sahara Treasure, I much much prefer the texture of the Color Tattoos. :) xx

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    1. I like that it's not as frosty as the other shades. It's super easy to wear. I regret not picking up the white shade as well, I reckon it would've made a really good eye primer/base. And the eye souffles were like $3 or something, much cheaper than the $5.50 of the Stay All Day eyeshadows! Yes, agreed on preferring the texture (and pretty much everything else) of the Color Tattoos, especially Bad to the Bronze. I wore it today and I really like it :)

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  4. the swatches look great! these pictures are amazing..so glad i followed you! :)

    anansays.blogspot.com

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind comment :) I enjoy following your blog as well!

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  5. Ah, that's such a shame. Looks so nice in the pot and in the swatches. Really like Bad to the Bronze :) x

    bluebuttefly80.blogspot.co.uk

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    1. I know - I was really excited when I initially swatched it on my hand. But it just didn't work for me applied to the eyelid. Bad to the Bronze is definitely my favourite Color Tattoo eyeshadow that I have :)

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  6. That's so disappointing, it does look such a pretty shade in the pot! Gorgeous swatches as always x

    http://wewereraisedbywolves.blogspot.co.uk/

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    1. It does! Maybe it would work for you, I think the colour didn't work for me in large part because of my skin tone. It is a pretty colour by itself though.

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  7. I def agree with you that this range of cream eye shadow from essence isn't really impressive.But I found that if I apply it on the back of my hand first, instead of applying it directly to my lids, does make the eye shadow a bit more 'melted' and easier to apply..
    Do you also have Catrice there? Catrice is like Essence's big sister that comes from the same company and catrice has a really great cream eye shadow range, the texture is completely different with this one from essence..

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    1. Hmmm, I've never tried applying it to the back of my hand before applying it to the eyelid. Maybe I'll try that next time! Hopefully it will make it easier to apply.

      We don't have Catrice - but I have seen their products featured on your blog fairly regularly. I wonder why there's such a difference - but at least Catrice have a really nice cream eyeshadow range :)

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  8. Great review, the comparison swatches are very helpful. Of all of those I only have the Maybelline Color Tattoos, but it's always great to know what other products are out there that can be used as bases or even just alone. xoxo

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    1. The Maybelline Color Tattoos are really fun and have amazing wear time - Bad to the Bronze is my fav. That's the great thing about cream eyeshadow as well - they can be used as both an eyeshadow and a base/primer :)

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  9. I have the same problem. I'm usually more drawn to the shades that are slightly more taupy and cool toned, but the ones that suit me most are warm, bronze colors. Not that I'm complaining too much. Those colors are gorgeous as well.

    Sandra from The Puzzle of Sandra's Life

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    1. You'd think after buying so much makeup and committing the same errors that we'd learn! I guess we can't help what we're automatically drawn to, even though disappointment inevitably follows :p

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  10. Oooh I was going to buy some of the Essence Stay All Day shadows but now I don't think I will! I'd love to get some of the L'Oreal ones though.

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    1. You might still like it - it just didn't work for me and my skin tone. But I think the colour is really pretty (if you can stand the shimmer factor) and the product has received generally rave reviews on Makeupalley. The L'Oreal Infallible eyeshadows are so pigmented and shimmery (but not necessarily frosty) - I have a whole bunch :p I love the colour of Sahara Treasure but I also like Bronze Goddess and Endless Chocolate.

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  11. I think with drugstore brands, sometimes their formulas really are a miss and this is an example of that! At least you didn't spend a ton of cash on it? Thanks for the heads up on the product !

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    1. If only this was the same formula as the Essence eye souffles ... and not as shimmery. But you're right, at least it was only $5.50 and not any more expensive.

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  12. i love the colours, and the name glammy sounds so cute ^_^ i'm hopeless applying makeup though

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    1. I'm sure you're not! At any rate, it's fun to experiment and play around :) The name is cute, I think it's based on the line "and the Grammy goes to..." - or at least that's what I think of!

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  13. Thanks for the review! I was wondering how these cream eyeshadows perform, but after what you and Cherie have said, I think I will definitely stay away. What a shame though, it had potential because Pas des Copper is such a favourite! xx

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    1. I know, I was hoping the formula would be exactly the same, just renamed/repackaged. But they're definitely not the same :S I hope Essence re-release more shades of their eye souffle.

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  14. Shimmer is only good when you really want shimmer, it sucks when a product doesn't measure up to what you wanted it too!

    Evani
    simplyevani@gmail.com

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    1. That's true - I normally like some level of shimmer in my eyeshadows, just not an overload! :p

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  15. I love cool colors too!! I feel like I look better with warm tones, but the cool ones are much funner haha!
    Thhanks for the swatches!

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    1. I still haven't really figured out the whole warm/cool thing in relation to my skin tone, it's more just a trial and error thing. But I can be a slow learner :p

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  16. When I got into frosty eyeshadows I realized the lighter ones made my eyes look smaller, but that's the fun thing about makeup, it's always an adventure, because you never know what you'll end up loving/disliking. These eyeshadows that you reviewed are so pigmented!

    -Lisa
    The Lovely Memoir

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    1. I agree completely - that's all part of the fun, to just play around and experiment and see what works for you and what doesn't. They are all very pigmented, just the way I like them :)

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  17. It's disappointing... I already find Maybelline color tattoos too shimmery and dry, so I'll definitely pass on this product!

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    1. I know what you mean - I had similar thoughts about the Maybelline eyeshadows as well. But Glammy Goes To is still more shimmery than the most shimmery/frosty Color Tattoo!

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  18. It's very pretty, but I'm sorry it didn't work out for you personally. Sometimes I have that happen with eyeshadows too. Some colors make me look like I haven't been sleeping or I have an eye infection lol. :-)

    ~ Yun

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    1. I guess that's the fun of eyeshadows - you really need to try out a whole bunch to see what works best for you (and what you should avoid at all costs!). I've definitely had a few eyeshadow disasters here and there :)

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  19. that is so disappointing, it sucks when the color looks good in the pot but not flattering when put on the eyelid =/
    Great review! I love the detailed comparisons :)

    hope you have a fab day hun! ~ xx
    Chriissydollxo's Blog

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    1. I know, I had high expectations and I thought the colour was so pretty when I swatched it on my hand - it just didn't work for me and my skin tone. But at least it was relatively cheap and I guess it could still be used as an eyeshadow base or primer for a similar colour :)

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  20. i love the shades. i'm definitely going to look for them in stores. oh and i'm a new follower.

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    1. Thanks for following! Glad you liked the shades :)

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  21. Thanks for the review, I was actually pretty close to picking up one of these cream shadows because I thought they'd perform the same as the Pas de Cooper that you have previously reviewed but now I'm glad I didn't make a spontaneous purchase. I think I'll stick to getting the Color Tattoos from Maybelline...at least for Bad to the Bronze and possibly Bold Gold :P

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    1. I definitely recommend Bad to the Bronze - I think you'll like that one (though it is quite frosty which I didn't anticipate). If your skin tone is similar to mine, it'd probably be a good idea to skip Glammy Goes To - though I'd still be interested in testing/swatching Coppy Right. But I think the Maybelline Color Tattoos are a superior product anyway :)

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  22. hi loved your blog. following you too!
    makeupfashionandeverythingilike.blogspot.in

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  23. Could be good for an 80's dress up party though.... :)

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    1. I will definitely keep it in mind for that purpose ;) Thanks for the inspiration haha :p

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  24. Thanks! I like your outfit in your latest post :)

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