Cooled Enthusiasm

I'm a big fan of Rimmel ScandalEyes Shadow Stick in Bad Girl Bronze, so when I spotted two new (neutral!) shades for half price at My Chemist, I snapped both up. There weren't any testers, so I bought them after a bit of on-the-spot Googling on my phone. My only reservations were that Trespassing Taupe (015) would translate on my lids as a dull concrete grey as opposed to brown, and Bluffing (011) might be too light as an all-over wash to provide any definition on my lids. But being won over by the smooth gliding formula and incredible pigmentation of the ScandalEyes Shadow Sticks, I was willing to take the chance.

l-r: Bluffing (011), Trespassing Taupe (015)

Top to bottom: Trespassing Taupe (015), Bluffing (011)

l-r: KIKO 06, Max Factor Caramel Rage, Models Prefer Down to Earth, Maybelline Bad to the Bronze, Rimmel Bluffing

Turns out I had reason to have doubts about the new shades. My absolute most adored eyeshadow crayon is KIKO Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadow in 06 and you can see it's worlds apart from Rimmel Bluffing. The closest to Bluffing is probably Models Prefer Infinite Colour Shadow Pencil in Down to Earth, in that both are distinctly very frosty (my pet peeve) and cool-toned (not the most flattering on my skin tone), with a hint of lilac. Down to Earth has a darker brownish/taupe base compared with the more shimmery, reflective Bluffing. I find Max Factor Wild Shadow Pencil in Caramel Rage to translate as very silvery/greyish on my lids despite it swatching distinctly brown, and Bluffing proved no different.

l-r: Rimmel Trespassing Taupe, Rimmel Taupe, Maybelline Tough as Taupe

I've barely ever used Maybelline Color Tattoo in Tough as Taupe since it looks awful against my sallow skin tone, so at first I took comfort in the fact Trespassing Taupe appeared a lot more brown than the greyish, ashy Tough as Taupe. The problem is that it's still very cool-toned rather than the neutral-to-warm camel/tan shade I was hoping it would be. When applied all over the lid and blended out, the effect is quite sludgy, muddy and complexion-draining. It's an entirely underwhelming affair: it doesn't open up the eyes, nor does it add depth.

As much as I can't fault the intense pigmentation and creamy texture of these ScandalEyes Shadow Sticks, I didn't get along with the shades. They're not abysmal and unworkable, but they're far from ideal. Next time, I'll stick with my trusty warm-toned bronze and copper offerings like Face of Australia Bronze Sphinx, Benefit My Two Cents or my beloved Essence Pas des Copper.