Sunday, August 19, 2012

Tint For Eyes

These Becca Eye Tints are a good example of why I don't really get high end makeup. I'd never buy them at their retail price of $42 each, but since Gilt and Vicuna are Madison magazine freebies this month, I grabbed both. I thought they were a bargain considering the magazine is about a fifth of the cost of one Eye Tint.






Vicuna is described as an "opal" shade but it just looks like a slightly peachy, very light goldish beige to me. I didn't really see any dimension or special lustre to the colour. It wasn't particularly complex, gorgeously shimmery or unique. On the eyes, it didn't do much but create a barely noticeable sheen. I'd recommend this shade only for those with quite fair skin, as I'm not exactly tan or dark skinned, but the colour hardly showed up on me. I can only imagine using Vicuna as an eye primer, or possibly as a highlighter for the face.

Gilt is slightly more promising in that it's a darker shade, a warm, chocolatey bronze with gold shimmer. It's able to give more definition to the eye without looking too heavy because of the sheerness of the colour. This is something you could still wear during the day, despite it looking quite dark in the tube and having the potential to be built up in intensity.

l-r: Vicuna, Gilt

Indirect sunlight

Direct sunlight

Gilt over lid

I'm not enamoured of these Eye Tints for a couple of reasons. First, I noticed when I first squeezed out a bit of Vicuna that there was some clear liquid (oil?) coming out, before any pigment. The product had separated. You have to shake the tube somewhat vigorously to try to prevent this from happening, or squeeze out a bit more of the product to get to the pigment. Second, the colours of the Eye Tints are on the sheer side and they have a slightly runny and thin consistency. They're not creamy and super pigmented, which are two qualities that I'd normally want in my cream eyeshadows. These are far more liquid and easily spread, but in turn, you lose the pigmentation factor. I found it difficult to build up the colour, as the product is both sheer and takes a while to set, so you end up smearing or trying to pat on more product on top of existing product that hasn't fully set or dried.

I feel that I have several other cream eyeshadows from brands like Maybelline, Essence or even Revlon that perform better and that I prefer, so I'm not impressed by these and I can't see how they're superior to justify the much heftier price tag. On the plus side, the packaging is attractive and quite unique, it seems to have decent staying power once it's set, you only need a very small amount, the colours are all very wearable neutrals, and they're relatively quick and easy to apply with fingers. For the price I paid, I'm satisfied that I bought these, if only to have two Becca products in my possession for a fraction of their normal price, but whether I'll actually end up using them over my existing cream shadows is another story.

57 comments:

  1. I picked a mag too, just to get one of these and ended up with Vicuna. It's hardly noticeable on my skin, and as the whitest person ever, I'm qualified to say this is better as an inner eye or cheekbone highlighter.

    I do like Becca's Beach Tints for cheeks, but not $42 worth of like. Another Australian brand sold overseas for far less!

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    1. I feel better knowing that it barely shows up on you as well :p I haven't thought about using it as an inner corner highlight, but I think it would be good for the cheekbones. I tried it and it wasn't overly glittery, so if I'm desperate to use up this product, that's where it's going (as well as general eye primer/base). I do want to try their Beach Tints but not for $42!

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  2. $42 is pretty steep! The color is really vibrant and nice though. Lucky you found it in a magazine though, that's really smart!

    -Lisa
    The Lovely Memoir

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    1. When I heard these were the magazine freebies, I totes rushed out to the nearest newsagents to me to buy them :p But yeah, I'd never buy them for their usual price, wayyyy too steep.

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  3. I was contemplating getting these but wasn't sure if I'd use it! That, and the fact that Gilt was the only shade available. After reading some MUA reviews about the 'crappy plastic tube' and the separation I decided I would refrain from taking advantage of this loophole in the makeup diet spending ban. :) x

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    1. I definitely prefer Gilt to Vicuna, so if you are contemplating on buying one, I think Gilt is a better choice :) But seriously, Bad to the Bronze blows it out of the water.

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  4. $42 is way too much for a cream eyeshadow! I like the idea of Becca Beach Tints but, while still pricey here, I do think we get them for cheaper than you do.
    S xx

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    1. Everything is hideously overpriced in Australia, it sucks :( I think Beach Tints probably would be a better product overall, but I'll never know given their exorbitant price makes them far out of my reach :p

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  5. oh they are kinda pricey
    I like the lighter one

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    1. They are! The lighter one barely shows up on the eyes but it could be good for a primer or possibly highlighter :)

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  6. I was waiting for someone to swatch this on their eye before picking them up. I agree, definitely not the amount of pigmentation I would like. Thank you for this you saved me some $$ :)

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    1. Gilt is far more pigmented than Vicuna, which is hardly visible on the eyes. But the pigmentation overall is lacking compared to other cream shadows I've tried. I think you're better off buying some offerings from drugstore brands :)

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  7. I've always been attracted to these products but after reading this I don't think I'll get them!
    Like you said, there are a lot of cheaper options :) xxx

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    1. True! There are lots of more affordable brands that are coming out with some excellent products, cream eyeshadows included :)

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  8. I've never heard of eye tints before. It does seeem like an interesting concept, but I think I'll stay with my normal eyeshadows. :)

    Sandra from The Puzzle of Sandra's Life

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    1. These are pretty much cream eyeshadows that are a little more runny and soft in consistency than your more firm, creamier shadows that come in a pot (like MAC Paint Pot or Maybelline Color Tattoos). And they give a more sheer wash of colour as well. I went through a period of being fascinated by cream eyeshadows but powder ones will always be more versatile and varied :)

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  9. becca is nice.

    it is appreciated if you take time to visit my blog and follow me :)
    christian | my blog : www.christianyuen.blogspot.com

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    Replies
    1. I had a look at your blog and I really love the design and photos! Keep up the great blogging :)

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  10. Woah, $42 is a bit pricey - but it's great you got them cheap. I really like the Vicuna, it looks like it'd make a pretty face highlighter :)

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    1. That's probably the only use I can think of it, other than an eye primer - because as an eyeshadow it is hardly visible on the lids. Kind of disappointing! But then again, even if it were really pigmented, it's not a colour I'd normally wear as I tend to go for darker colours to give my eyes definition. I'd never buy them at $42, but at least I got these as magazine freebies, though I did have to buy two magazines - but I gave the copy I had to a friend :)

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  11. i love how it comes in a tube, but i hate it when products seperate >:(

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    1. Me too, especially lip glosses. That is a pet peeve of mine!

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  12. It's quite expensive. Imagine you paid full price and found that the products separated at first use. I would be so disappointed. But the color looks great. I haven't tried this or similar products. Is it easy to apply?

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    1. I know, but at least the separation wasn't too bad. I didn't squeeze too much out to get to the pigment, and I made sure I shook the second one vigorously before I opened it. The application is kind of tricky because it is so soft and it takes a while to set, and the pigmentation itself is on the sheer side. But it was okay so long as you pat the colour on rather than smearing it.

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  13. Really pretty, been wanting to try this brand for a while! But yes, they're expensive x

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    1. They are, I wouldn't buy them for their retail price but thankfully these were magazine freebies, so I got to try something that normally would be out of my reach :)

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  14. Ooh, that's quite a lot of money, Gilt is a lovely shade. :) x

    bluebutterfly80.blogspot.co.uk

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    1. It is! But at least I was able to try them for much cheaper. I don't mind Gilt, but it's a bit tricky to wear and I have similar cream eyeshadows that I prefer :)

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  15. Ah the formula/quality sounds a little disappointing for the price you'd normally pay, but the colors still look quite nice! I wish there were magazine deals like this in the US!

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    1. There aren't any good freebies in the States? I'm envious of the UK - they get awesome magazine freebies. I was so jealous reading about Glamour mag giving out Benefit freebies :)

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  16. I've seen these on loads of blogs recently, but they are so expensive, especially when they sound quite difficult to apply. Very pretty shades though x

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

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    1. They aren't the easiest to apply, especially with the product separation issues in the tube, but at least I managed to try them for much cheaper than their retail price :)

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  17. It's such a shame when high-end products don't live up to their price tags (not that I'm sure it's physically possible for any cream eyeshadow to be worthy of a $42 splurge!) - the 'gilt' shade over your lid looks gorgeous, though, even if it was a bit of a pain to build up! xx

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    1. I know what you mean - in what ways does a product have to be superior to justify a much more expensive price tag? Especially considering more affordable brands are coming out with some fantastic products to rival higher end brands. I'd probably only spend $42 on a Chanel eyeshadow, but even then, it would have to really impress me for me to consider it worth the money!

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  18. I've wondered about these eye tints for a long time. It seems these products are very expensive! I don't like it when products separate but there's no other way it won't unless, like you mentioned, shake it vigorously :p

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    1. I really dislike it too, especially with lip glosses. I haatteee when it gets all disgustingly oily and you have to squeeze out like half the tube to get to any pigment (CoverGirl Fruit Spritzers, I'm looking at you) :p

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  19. Replies
    1. They're okay, I'm not in love with them but for the price I paid, I'm fairly satisfied :)

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  20. Thanks a lot for this review. I've seen Lisa Eldrige use Becca products in her tutorials (mostly face products) and they seemed nice, but now knowing the price of this brand I think it's not for everyone, even more so if there are inexpensive alternatives that do the same job and better. I'm starting to think that true high end products are those designed for special makeup like Ben Nye, all the other brands are carbon copies of one another and don't offer significantly superior quality or results. Certainly for $42 a tube I'd expect a product to come with the proper brush to be applied and the colour to be out of this world. I'm glad you didn't have to pay full price for these to try them, though.

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    1. I've seen Lisa Eldridge use Becca quite a bit as well, mostly the Shimmering Skin Perfector - which has to be their most popular product I think. The pixiwoo girls also use a bit of Becca, I think they even came to Australia a couple of years ago to work for the Becca counter. I had somewhat high expectations of the product because of the brand, pricing, packaging, and the fact that it's not something I'd normally buy. But I found myself mainly underwhelmed. Hopefully this experience isn't going to be reflective of all my experiences with higher end makeup, but I haven't been too thrilled with anything really expensive that I've tried. Then again, I think it's better to go with whether the product has been well reviewed in the beauty community, rather than how much it costs, as a reflection of how well it'll perform :)

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  21. Ah - maybe I should have gone for Gilt. Sigh.

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    1. I dunno, depends whether you like semi-sheer bronzy eyeshadow with a bit of gold shimmer in it? I reckon stick with Maybelline Bad to the Bronze, it's much much better ;)

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  22. Gilt is such a pretty color! :-) I've never tried any eye tint, so it's definitely interesting. I like my eye stuff to be very pigmented, so the tints not being so is definitely a drawback.

    ~ Yun

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    1. I like strong pigmentation for my eyeshadows as well, which is in contrast to my blush, which I don't mind being not super pigmented. Most of my eye products have really good pigmentation though, so I guess these Eye Tints offer a point of difference :)

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  23. that is part of the reason why I never reallly buy high end makeup either. I actually read a couple places that all makeup is made out of the same things, so what you're really only paying for is the name.
    but I really do like that color tint!
    I like your blog a lot and will definitely be back to see some more posts from you!
    I hope you have a great night!
    -Morgan
    ps feel free to continue my beauty series with me on my blog, a post everyday until the 24th and a giveaway at the end =)

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    Replies
    1. I'm starting to have my doubts about higher end makeup too - especially as some products have such a huge markup that I'd find very difficult to justify purely on an ingredients or performance basis. Like most "luxury" or higher end items, a lot of it has to do with the prestige of the brand, or the sophistication of the packaging, rather than how the product actually holds up compared to cheaper alternatives. Thanks for your kind comment. I definitely will check out your blog again soon!

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  24. oh wow, gilt looks really nice though on you though but i agree there are a lot of better alternatives out there. great post!

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    1. Thanks :) I definitely like Gilt better than Vicuna, though not as much as my Maybelline Bad to the Bronze or Essence Pas des Copper eye souffle :)

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  25. wow the vircuna shade looks like a perfect champagne shade! will definitely check these out! thanks for the review :)

    anansays.blogspot.com
    x

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  26. I'm so jealous! I can't believe you get these as a mag freebie.
    I have vicuña... Love it, great quality, it doesn't budge at all. :)

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  27. I also think you're lucky to be able to get mag freebies :) Back to the point, $42 for a cream shadow? Yikes! Good thing you got these for free. I do think they are pretty colors, but for that price could be duped with cheaper brands. Great freebie score though!

    xoxo Renee
    http://allglitzedup.blogspot.com

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  28. I agree that more pigmented cream shadows are way better, but knowing that these are supposed to be sheer, I was able to forgive that. I did a review of the bronze one on my blog, and I decided after swatching and playing around with it for a while, that I like the sheerness, it gives a nice subtle shimmer effect.

    http://kitschsnitch.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/becca-creme-eyeshadow-in-gilt-review.html

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