Wednesday, January 28, 2015

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.

30 comments:

  1. Have you tried the GOSH Forever Eye Shadow Stick? They are hands down the best shadow pencil/stick I have ever used! Just amazing colour pay off - been recommending them to everyone I know.

    Jade x www.whatwouldjadedo.com

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  2. Ohh too bad these shades were not what you expected :(
    I am also a big fan of Rimmel Scandalous eye shadow stick in bad girl bronze.. The quality is just amazing for the price, together with Kiko Eye shadow sticks, they are my favorites :)

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  3. I've never really tried stick eyeshadows, all of the ones I've swatched are too shimmery. And I completely agree with the cool toned eyeshadows, I can never pull them off- they just make my eyelids look a bit muddy!

    Yet Another Makeup Blog.

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  4. Taupes rarely look great on their own unless there's a warmer shade imo. Maybe you can still use these as bases or along with other colours. :)

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  5. I like the taupe Maybelline cream eyeshadow and use it as a base for cool shadows but its not for every skin tone, definitely. These creamy pencils look great!

    Erin | Erin and Katherine Talk Beauty

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  6. seems like i need bluffing in my life! x

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  7. So sad that these turn out to be a miss :/
    I actually wanted to get one or two shadow sticks because it's easier to apply whenever I am on a rush and I'll probably pass these out and go straight to either the clinique chubby eye sticks or to the kiko (which apparently some are a miss and others are a hit :x quite scared of that to be truthful).
    I tend to like shimmer but bluffing is just...too much.

    Take care*

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    Replies
    1. I would agree that not all shades are the same pigmentation or texture in the KIKO eyeshadow stick range. But the one that I do have is my absolute favourite cream eyeshadow crayon. I was tempted by the Clinique Chubby Eye Stick that resembled Maybelline Bad to the Bronze but I figured it was so similar to that shade that there was kind of no point! On the lid, it's all the same taupey brown anyway :p

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  8. OMG that taupe shade is sooo gorgeous! My favorite of the bunch has to be max factor one though! I love these as bases for all kinds of looks and also just by themselves with a similar shadow on top!

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  9. I was about to pick up a couple of these the other day but actually opted for the new Bourjois Colorband 2 in 1 eyeshadow and eyeliners. I got the shade Brun Dadaiste which is a beautiful rich orange copper tone. It seems to stay true to colour on the lid! I haven't tried the Kiko eyeshadow sticks yet, I must pick some up as they sound lovely :).

    www.cescasretailretreat.com

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    1. I just looked up Brun Dadaiste - oh wow! It looks gorgeous, as does Rose Fauviste :) Though I fear I may have too many similar shades to Brun Dadaiste, like the Rimmel ScandalEyes in Bad Girl Bronze.

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  10. How stunning are those shimmer shades!!
    xprincessjas | ♥

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  11. The shades look great watched but I guess they just weren't right for you, I've never actually tried these, but I've heard great things about the Kiko ones so maybe I should try one of those instead!

    Emma x

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  12. I'm obsessed with eyeshadow sticks, that's all I use in the mornings when I'm in a hurry. I have to try these, specially Bluffing, it looks gorgeous.

    http://makeup-sessions.com/

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  13. I forgot how pretty and pigmented these are, need to dig mine back out!

    Annabel ♥
    Mascara & Maltesers

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  14. these have been out for so long now, I don't know why I haven't tried them yet! I really love the look of the matte one, it would make such a great base.

    nueyork.blogspot.com

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  15. I have a feeling that Bluffing is exactly the shadow shade I'm looking for (albeit in a formula I wasn't expecting) Do you feel the need to set these sticks with a powder, or do they hold up alright by themselves?

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    Replies
    1. Bluffing is pretty creamy so I would probably be inclined to set with a powder. I have fairly dryish lids though (definitely not oily) and myself don't usually set these Rimmel shadow sticks with a powder. I bought the Australis limited edition AC/ME Eyeshadows recently and I felt they DEFINITELY needed to be set with a shadow - they felt positively wet and I wasn't confident at all they wouldn't be smudged and smeared off by the end of the day.

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  16. Bluffing looks very pretty and I love the Bronze shade from Rimmel. Where did you buy the KIKO stick from ?

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    Replies
    1. I bought it in Milan while on holidays a couple of years ago! I wish they had KIKO in Australia.

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  17. Trespassing Taupe actually looks like a really nice matte shade! Unfortunately it'll probably look muddy on my warmer skin so I guess I'll give these shades a pass.

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  18. Aw what a shame. I can see why Trespassing Taupe could a little off on some skin tones, yeah.

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  19. Aw, what a pity. I also prefer warmer tones. Kiko shadow sticks are sooo good! I have 05 which is a rosy brown, and I adore it. Might have to pick 06 up as well!

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  20. Hm... I'm sad to hear that for the taupe shade. I love their eyeliner in that shade so I might still get it to try out.

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  21. That is so disappointing, they looked really promsing :( x

    Evelyn @ We Were Raised By Wolves

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  22. I am currently *obsessed* with lip and eye crayons and I didn't know they'd released new shades! Thanks for the tip, need to check them out for myself. x

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  23. How unfortunate! I'm desperate to find an eyeshadow stick similar to the By Terry Ombre Blackstar. x

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