Wet Foil

When Australis first launched the limited edition AC/ME Eyeshadows, I had a cursory swatch and dismissed them as nothing "must have". Sure, the colours were accessible, crowd-pleasing neutrals, they were cream shadow pots (my weakness), and the price was right, but they didn't seem unique or special enough to warrant a purchase. It wasn't until Shaaanxo mentioned them in her 2014 Drugstore Favourites, specifically the shade Bronzonce, that I was compelled to give them another shot. Of course by that stage, they became increasingly difficult to track down. I finally found them at a Priceline near me, but had to ask the sales assistant whether I could buy the tester for Bronzonce since it had sold out. Granted, the tester was barely used, but I'll be the first to admit that was some next level desperate.

l-r: Plum Diddy, Bronzonce

l-r: Australis Bronzonce, Benefit My Two Cents, MAC Rubenesque, Max Factor Auburn Envy, Urban Decay Chopper, Maybelline Bold Gold

Bronzonce looked so dazzling in swatches I'd seen and didn't disappoint in real life. The foil quality and sparkle factor is super intense. It's more ultra-reflective, concentrated shimmer than any underlying pigment, in that you really have to layer the product to achieve strong colour payoff. When it's blended/sheered out, it looks like gold, copper and diamond sparkles on a transparent base. I don't have anything like it, at least not in the form of a cream shadow. The spongy gold leaf shade in my Clarins Odyssey quad is probably the closest thing in my stash.

I would say Bronzonce is like a cross between MAC Paint Pot in Rubenesque and Urban Decay Chopper. It's definitely more of a copper gold than a yellow gold like Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bold Gold. This kind of shade usually is fairly light on my lids (MAC Rubenesque barely shows up if applied in a thin layer), but the sheer density of shimmer (and hence pigment) creates a glimmering, foiled finish.

l-r: Australis Plum Diddy, Maybelline Pomegranate Punk, L'Oréal Burning Black, Rimmel Bad Girl Bronze, theBalm Caught in the Act Courtney

The other shade I picked up, Plum Diddy, is surprisingly complex, at least when swatched. On the lids, especially when sheered out, it loses a lot of detail. Plum Diddy appears to my eyes closer to a dark chocolate brown with red, copper, gold and diamond sparkles. The red sparkles are what gives it a plummy appearance, but the actual base colour looks more like a deep brown than purple.

The texture of these shadows is unlike anything I've encountered. They have a very wet formulation that's not quite mousse-like, but similar. There isn't that air-whipped consistency of mousse shadows, but there is a certain sponginess to them. They aren't firm to the touch whatsoever, yet I wouldn't describe them as "creamy" in the thin, emollient sense like the MAC Paint Pots or Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadows. Honestly, they kind of feel like rain-soaked mud. Sludge. You only need to very lightly dip your finger into them to pick up a lot of product. You will move the product around or dent it if you make contact with the surface, either with your finger or a brush. Essentially, treat them delicately.

I found the best brush to use these with is the Ecotools Concealer Brush (from the Mineral 5 Piece Set, the one that comes with an eye blending brush, mini kabuki and small powder brush). It's already my preferred brush to use with my Maybelline Color Tattoos and it works brilliantly with the unusual formulation of the AC/ME Eyeshadows. Importantly, it doesn't pick up too much product, but applies whatever it has picked up in smooth, even, buildable layers. I can achieve full, dazzling opacity with two coats. Due to the wet texture of these, they do feel like they could slip and slide all over the place. My lids are on the drier side, but even I felt a primer was an absolute must.