I buckled down and spent the couple hours needed to swatch my eyeshadow collection, in large part for my own benefit, but hey also 30 Days! According to my spreadsheet (you can't go about these things lackadaisically, after all), I have 77 eyeshadows, including cream and those in palettes. Though after doing this swatchathon, I have decided to discard several of them, and if I ever get around to depotting my shadows, yet more may go the way of the dodo. But at this moment in time, here are all of my eyeshadows. Enjoy, I guess?
Key
Guerlain = Guerlain Écrin 4 Couleurs 06 Les Fumés
Inglot = this post
Sleek = Sleek Original i-Divine Palette; numbers are assigned from left to right, top to bottom (1 = top far left, 7 = bottom far left, 5 = top second from right, etc.)
TT = Tarina Tarantino Jewel Eyeshadow Palette Fantastical
theBalm = theBalm Nude 'Tude, which will be reviewed once I can get past my issues with the packaging (or decide to share my rant with the world, whichever ends up happening first)
TF = Too Faced Natural Eye Neutral Eye Shadow Collection
UDD = Urban Decay Deluxe Palette, which will be reviewed once I take some pictures of EOTDs using it
UDR = Urban Decay Rollergirl
WNW CZ = Wet N Wild Comfort Zone
All others will be linked in their respective captions; all labels are from left to right.
All swatches are two layers on primed skin, unless otherwise noted, and all pictures are clickable––I uploaded them full size (not the usual 800 pixels), so you can see more detail.
Black
Inglot 391 is by far the most pigmented; that's a single swipe of each shadow. Zero is the only one with shimmers. Sleek 1 and Serious both fared quite poorly, but Serious got mostly opaque with a second layer, while Sleek 1 did not (see below); Zero built up nicely, and I didn't add anything to the Inglot because it was not needed.
Darkhorse and WNW CZ left Definer were both nicely pigmented; the WNW is a single glorious swipe! Cocoa Puff and Sophisticated were less impressive, with Cocoa Puff really being sad. The palette is, like, 3 years old, though, so that probably factors into it.
This batch did not swatch well. The Guerlain shades apply much better than they swatch, and the bottom one in particular is so incredibly finely milled, it's wonderful. Sleek is very pigmented but not the most blendable, which I hope is evident here, though it is also super soft to the touch. Sexpresso is somewhat patchy, but Erotica is a mess––this is 4 swipes, I think, and it's still sheer and blech. I don't know why the WNW one decided to clump up halfway down, but it applies without issue.
I love taupe, and these are among my most-worn shadows. The Guerlain and theBalm are especially versatile. Bronzed Taupe is incredibly soft and pigmented; every time I swatch it I wonder why I don't wear it more often (answer: I'm too lazy to deal with unscrewing the lid and removing the little presser). Also, these are all single swipes; taupes are the best.
I feel like I should explain Seashell Frosts. I originally swatched everything alphabetically by brand within a given color group; since M comes between I and S, I stuck it between the Inglot and Sleek within the "light blue" group. That was clearly very stupid. Sorry. All except that and Inglot 415 are single swipes. Inglot 415 and UDD Peace are pretty similar, though the Inglot has some nice gold duochrome and Peace is a bit darker, bluer, and more pigmented. Seashore Frosts, much like Barely Beige, has a finicky formula, but it's newer and therefore not dried out, and the unusual color makes me more willing to put up with its shortcomings. Just pretend it's not sandwiched between completely different colors, ok?
Key
Guerlain = Guerlain Écrin 4 Couleurs 06 Les Fumés
Inglot = this post
Sleek = Sleek Original i-Divine Palette; numbers are assigned from left to right, top to bottom (1 = top far left, 7 = bottom far left, 5 = top second from right, etc.)
TT = Tarina Tarantino Jewel Eyeshadow Palette Fantastical
theBalm = theBalm Nude 'Tude, which will be reviewed once I can get past my issues with the packaging (or decide to share my rant with the world, whichever ends up happening first)
TF = Too Faced Natural Eye Neutral Eye Shadow Collection
UDD = Urban Decay Deluxe Palette, which will be reviewed once I take some pictures of EOTDs using it
UDR = Urban Decay Rollergirl
WNW CZ = Wet N Wild Comfort Zone
All others will be linked in their respective captions; all labels are from left to right.
All swatches are two layers on primed skin, unless otherwise noted, and all pictures are clickable––I uploaded them full size (not the usual 800 pixels), so you can see more detail.
Black
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| Inglot 391, Sleek 1, theBalm Serious, UDD Zero |
 |
| poor Sleek. |
I rarely use black in my eye looks because it's so dramatic against my pale skin, but I should evidently use Sleek 1 if I don't want to overwhelm myself, ha!
Brown
I have, um, a lot of brown eyeshadows. I tried to break them down by depth and temperature, with middling success, which you can see for yourself!
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| TF Cocoa Puff, theBalm Sophisticated, UDR Darkhorse, WNW CZ left Definer |
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| Guerlain left, Guerlain bottom, theBalm Sleek, TF Sexpresso, TF Erotica, WNW CZ right definer |
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| UDR Suspect, TF Velvet Revolver, Sleek 11, theBalm Sultry, theBalm Seductive, WNW CZ left Crease. |
These were all pretty nice; Sleek 11 is the most pigmented (1 swipe!), and Velvet Revolver is the least (3 swipes), but it's a matte so it's forgiven. Suspect looks really similar to WNW CZ left Crease, but it's somewhat lighter in real life. And Sultry and Seductive, in spite of how different they look in the pan, end up quite similar on my skin.
Copper
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| MAC Antiqued, Sleek 10, TF Push-Up, UDD Shag, WNW CZ right Eyelid |
Sleek 10 is MAC Antiqued on steroids, and along with Shag is a mere 1 swipe. Push-Up and WNW had the worst textures, though neither was bad, just not as glorious as Sleek and Shag. And Antiqued is great for a more subdued copper; I wear it more often than the Sleek just because it's easier to work with on my skin (and in fact was wearing it the day I made these swatches!).
"Cream"
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| Inglot 352, TT center, TF Heaven, UD Verve, WNW CZ left Browbone, Maybelline Barely Beige |
This group got thrown together because I use them for similar purposes: browbone highlighting and light lid washes. Verve looks really out of place, ha! I use 352 pretty much every day on my browbone, since it's basically the same color as my eyelid (look how tan my arm is!!!!). Heaven is the only eyeshadow I have hit pan on, since it's super soft and I used it as my browbone shade before getting 352. It's one of the few in that palette that I still like. I never use the WNW one, because the texture's not great and it's really sheer, and Barely Beige has gotten dry and weird and has now gone "to the farm", as they say.
Taupe
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| Le Métier de Beauté Corinthian, TT top, Guerlain right, UDD Underground, theBalm Selfish, L'Oréal Bronzed Taupe |
Pink
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| Guerlain top, Sleek 8, theBalm Stubborn, UD Scratch, Sleek 9, theBalm Stand-Offish, TF Silk Teddy, TF Nude Beach |
By "pink", I mean anything remotely pink-related, including a couple very pale peaches that could have equally gone with the "cream" shades. Colors are hard. WHATEVER. Stubborn and Stand-Offish are nice all-over-lid shades, as is Silk Teddy. Sleek 9 is very foiled, whereas Sleek 8 is more subdued (though still quite shimmery). Nude Beach is a nightmare, which is why I've never used it––total glitter bomb, no cohesiveness. Pretty sure my carpet will never be glitter-free. Most of these are light enough to work on my lid, but I tend to wear the Guerlain, Scratch, and Sleek 9 in the crease so as not to look real sick.
"Yellow"
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| Sleek 7, theBalm Snobby, TF Honey Pot, UDD Honey, MAC Dalliance, WNW CZ left Browbone |
I grouped the pewters here because, well, why not. Sleek 7 is the only one from that palette besides the black that is not fantastic; it's rather sheer and glittery, rather than shimmery/foily. Snobby is super frustratingly sheer (this is 3 layers), powdery, and quick to fade, but in terms of color it's pretty similar to Honey, so at least I have a solid yellow for game day (GO DUCKS!). Though, for what it's worth, I think Honey should be named Mustard. Honey Pot is pretty nice, though not as smooth as Honey or Dalliance. Dalliance looks really different from the WNW here, but they're closer in real life.
Green
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| Sleek 12, Inglot 32, Sleek 5, Sleek 6, UDD Graffiti, WNW CZ right Eyelid, WNW CZ right Definer |
These aren't quite grouped correctly––pretend Sleek 12 is next to the WNW. Inglot 32 is quite sheer, though on purpose (hence why I stopped at 2 layers). Sleek 12 is ridiculously shiny, though you can't really see it in this picture (go back and look at the original review for a better representation!). Graffiti and the WNW right Definer needed 3 swipes, and all the Sleeks needed only 1, because they are hella pigmented.
Blue
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| Inglot 428, Sleek 3, Inglot 415, Maybelline Seashore Frosts, Sleek 4, UDD Peace |
Purple
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| TT left, UDD Fishnet, UDD Ransom, Sleek 2, Inglot 429, TT bottom, theBalm Sexy, theBalm Silly |
This one actually has all the colors in a sensible order, which is why I saved it for (almost) last. It was also the (almost) last batch I did, suggesting that practice does, in fact, make (more) perfect. Fishnet and Tarina Tarantino's left shade are suuuuper similar, though the TT is slightly darker and bluer and definitely more pigmented (Fishnet is 3 layers). Sleek 2 (1 swipe) is Inglot 429 on steroids, though not as strong a dose as Sleek 10 compared to MAC Antiqued (see under "copper"). I had no idea the TT bottom and Sexy were so similar until swatching them––Sexy is browner and warmer, and matte vs. shimmer, but they're definitely kissing cousins. Silly is just shit; this is 3 layers and it's still poopy and uneven and poop.
Misc.
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| theBalm Sassy, TT right, UDR Woodstock, UD Sin, UD Juju |
These are ones I forgot to put with their group. Sorry, guys. Sassy is a very bright white that's somewhat sheer; the Tarina Tarantino is more visibly glittery than the other shades in the palette; Woodstock is really bright and I have never actually tried to wear it on my eyes [added to to-do list!]. I sometimes wear Sin as a wash or under eyeshadows, but Juju is pretty unloved. I should try to use it more often.
So, after washing my arm a thousand times, I have officially decided to get rid of the Too Faced palette. Where by "get rid of" I mean "depot the three shadows I still like [Velvet Revolver, Heaven, and Silk Teddy] and throw out the rest". In fact, I kind of want to just depot everything and organize them by color...but that sounds like a lot of work. Maybe someday when I'm procrastinating!
What do you think of my collection? Any gaps you can see? I notice I have no true greys or silvers, hrm... How many shadows do you have?
So, after washing my arm a thousand times, I have officially decided to get rid of the Too Faced palette. Where by "get rid of" I mean "depot the three shadows I still like [Velvet Revolver, Heaven, and Silk Teddy] and throw out the rest". In fact, I kind of want to just depot everything and organize them by color...but that sounds like a lot of work. Maybe someday when I'm procrastinating!
What do you think of my collection? Any gaps you can see? I notice I have no true greys or silvers, hrm... How many shadows do you have?
