I bought expert eyes eye shadow because I wanted a selection of colours to take on holiday with me.
I was immediately drawn to the compact case. It is very thin, relatively lightweight and contains the all important applicator so that the make up bag doesn't get cover with powder from the brush.
Firstly I'll talk about the brush itself. It is a two ended applicator of the sponge variety. The sponge is fairly hard making it quite tough and scratchy on the eyes.
The compact does come in four different colour combinations and is available from most high street beauty shops. I bought mine from Boots with my advantage card points so it didn't really cost me anything but I think the equivalent price is about £5.50. Not cheap, but quite reasonable considering you do get three colours and a single Maybelline eyeshadow is about £4.50. I thought it was a good price.
I bought the 'Nothing but Neutrals' selection which contains a pale cream colour, a dark pink colour and a middle brown colour. I do wear make-up on an every day basis but I only apply it discreetly. Most men I meet don't realise I wear make up, as I like to look natural. This colour selection seemed perfect to me as it would only highlight my features rather than cover them up.
When I got home I applied the cream colour to the whole lid before applying the pink colour to the area around my eye socket to create an illusion that my eye was bigger. I couldn't actually see much difference to the shade of my eye before to after so I thought perhaps the light wasn't right. I went into my bathroom (which is really light) and still couldn't see much difference. There was a slight sparkle but nothing noticable.
The applicator seemed to be picking up colour but not leaving it on my eyes. The actual blocks of shadow in the compact are firm and I found if I used the applicator and pressed harder, the surface would break up leaving an uneven surface and little blocks of colour, which when applied to my eyes didn't break up into a smooth powder but more or less fell off onto the floor!
I would think the shadow lasts a long time but I have to admit I actually applied another variety on top because I just felt that I might as well not be wearing anything with this Maybelline product.
As to whether it is waterproof, again I would have to admit I'm not sure, I would say no because after I tested it I couldn't see anything left but then I couldn't see much to start with. I would think that if it was waterproof Maybelline would market it as being so.
It is called 'Expert eyes' so perhaps it was my skill of application that let me down here, or perhaps my skin tone was the wrong colour for these shades. Whatever the reason I found this product was too compact meaning that although it doesn't crease unpleasantly on the eyes it also doesn't really show up.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
I like discreet make-up, but I like it to be visible on close inspection!
JessL 15.08.2003 11:57
To be honest, I've found most of Maybelline's products very disappointing - their nail varnishes chip after a day, their mascaras are clumpy, their lipsticks disappear after half an hour, and this one doesn't sound any different! Jess x
xalala 15.08.2003 11:13
What a shame - I shan't be spending my advantage card points on this, then! Mind you, I quite like Maybelline mascara, so it's not all bad.
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