Cool As Taupe

I've been eyeing Max Factor Earth Spirits eyeshadow in Burnt Bark (107) for possibly over a year, but it took Priceline's current Max Factor sale to finally convince me to add it to my collection. The main fascination with Burnt Bark was this post favourably comparing it to a number of taupe eyeshadows, including MAC Satin Taupe. I have no idea whether my refusal to spend $15 on Satin Taupe while in the US last year was a remarkable act of uncharacteristic restraint and sanity, or whether I was ultimately stupid to have resisted it, finding myself still interested in barely cheaper dupes when I could've bought the real thing and have been done with it. This happens a lot (see NARS Orgasm, Urban Decay Naked2).

Burnt Bark is a cool, mushroomy brown with a a touch of purple and grey which gives it a slightly murky quality. It needs about 2-3 layers to be built up to very good pigmentation. It has a soft satin finish with only a hint of frostiness. It's probably a little bit too dark as an all-over lid colour for everyday wear, but can be applied more sheer and blended out around the edges. I had a look at similar shades I had and found three that were all fairly close, but not identical.

l-r: Max Factor Burnt Bark, L'Oréal Bronzed Taupe, NYX Iced Mocha, Savvy by DB Iced Coffee

In direct sunlight

L'Oréal Infallible eyeshadow in Bronzed Taupe (890) is vibrantly metallic, buttery and smooth. Amazing quality eyeshadow — it's a total mystery why this shade isn't available in Australia as I'm sure it'd be popular. Lighter than Burnt Bark and not as grey or purple. More a traditional bronze, but distinctly cool-toned and with a tinge of grey.

NYX Iced Mocha is the lightest of the three, though still taupey and greyish. Revisiting it today after months of neglect, I found it incredibly powdery and relatively weak in pigmentation unless built up in intensity, which was surprising. It's closest to Bronzed Taupe but a bit warmer and a fraction more yellow, not as dark or shimmery.

Savvy by DB in Iced Coffee is more of a chocolate brown with slightly more red than the rest. Like most baked eyeshadows, it's not the best in terms of pigmentation or lasting power. Compared to the other three, it looks flat, fades easily and has a thin, soft texture.

Burnt Bark is my pick over NYX Iced Mocha and Savvy by DB Iced Coffee, though I feel that L'Oréal Bronzed Taupe stands in a league of its own. However, Bronzed Taupe is insanely shimmery and doesn't have as much complexity in its colour as Burnt Bark, with its mix of brown, purple and grey.