Benefit Velvet Eyeshadows for Spring 2010 Review, Photos, Swatches

Date: January 26, 2010 - Posted in: Benefit, Eye Products, Eyeshadows, Product Photos/Swatches, Reviews

Benefit Spring 2010 Eyeshadows

Benefit Velvet Eyeshadows for Spring 2010

Benefit Spring 2010 Eyeshadows ($18.00 each) come in six, limited edition varieties:  Bo Peep, Buns, Nice Melons, Shamrocker, Mermaid, and Fancy Pansy.  They’re new and only available for a limited time, unfortunately, but they are perfect spring-friendly shades.

I am a big, big fan of Benefit’s Velvet Eyeshadows. I have been for awhile (you can see my original review, if you’re curious), so when I found out that there were six new shades for spring, I got a little excited. When I saw that they had pops of color, I couldn’t wait to try them.  You know me, I love me some color–even though I can totally appreciate a good neutral–and Benefit finally brought me some color.

  • Bo Peep is an icy pink with a silver sheen.  This is probably the one with the most frost-like appearance.
  • Buns is a caramel brown with a soft golden bronze sheen.
  • Nice Melons is a peachy-pink with gold sheen.  It would appear that nobody is going to escape spring without some sort of melon-esque shade in their makeup wardrobe.  Yes, it totally reminds me of MAC Melon pigment, but it’s in glorious pressed form.  (For the record, I do not like MAC pigments pressed… they’re not the same!)
  • Shamrocker is a fresh, minty green with silver sheen.  I don’t even know if I have any minty greens in my stash–it’s just not a color you see too often.  I like!
  • Mermaid is a dark green with a teal edge and gold sheen.  I would have loved to see a little more boldness and vibrancy from this shade, even though it is very much in line with the look and feel of Benefit as a line.
  • Fancy Pansy is a iridescent fuchsia-purple pearled shade with an icy sheen.  It’s like a much more purple version of MAC Stars ‘n Rockets (which runs a little fuchsia in comparison).

All six shades have the same softness, smoothness, and pigmentation as I’ve come to expect of Velvet Eyeshadows.  One of my favorite qualities about these is the consistency across the line — there are no duds.  There are no misses in texture, color pay off, or feel.  Everything is as it should be, even if one color may not be to your taste.  I can really appreciate the consistency, because it means you don’t have to worry, “Is this one going to be a flop?”

I would, of course, love to see Benefit add even more vibrant hues (a girl can dream, right?) or even a line of matte or semi-matte eyeshadows to complement the Velvet Eyeshadow line (which is all on the shimmery side of life).  But nevertheless, I hope they’ll continue to release new and/or limited edition shades throughout 2010!

Can’t wait to do a look with these!

If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ! :)

  • Product: 29/30
  • Value: 9/10
  • Ease of Use: 4/5
  • Packaging: 4/5

Recommendation: If you love soft, smooth, well-pigmented eyeshadow, Benefit’s Velvet Eyeshadow is all that and more.

Availability: Benefit

See photos & swatches!

Benefit Spring 2010 Eyeshadows

Benefit Spring 2010 Eyeshadows

Benefit Spring 2010 Eyeshadows

Benefit Spring 2010 Eyeshadows

Benefit Spring 2010 Eyeshadows

Benefit Spring 2010 Eyeshadows
Bo Peep

Benefit Spring 2010 Eyeshadows
Buns

Benefit Spring 2010 Eyeshadows
Nice Melons

Benefit Spring 2010 Eyeshadows
Shamrocker

Benefit Spring 2010 Eyeshadows
Mermaid

Benefit Spring 2010 Eyeshadows
Fancy Pansy

Benefit Spring 2010 Eyeshadows
Bo Peep, Buns, Nice Melons

Benefit Spring 2010 Eyeshadows
Shamrocker, Mermaid, Fancy Pansy

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Leave a Reply

70 Responses to “Benefit Velvet Eyeshadows for Spring 2010 Review, Photos, Swatches”

  1. Catherine

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    Ooooh, I want Nice Melons!

    • Fee-ona

      Tuesday, January 26, 2010

      Took the words right out of my mouth! :D

    • Naz

      Wednesday, January 27, 2010

      Lol…don’t we all?! =P

  2. kurisu

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    Shamrocker looks like UD’s Green Goddess… Dupe alert! Something about Fancy Pansy reminds me of MAC Stars ‘n Rockets. I really like the color of Mermaid, but I could do without the golden sheen/shimmer… Love the colors! :D

  3. Tavia

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    I really like the design of these eyeshadows :) and only 2 of the colors: Bo Beep and Fancy Pansy. I read about the Benefit eyeshadows on a Japanese beauty blog a while ago and I was really curious about a review. :)

  4. Jousy

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    WOW, I’m absolutely loving “Mermaid”! it’s sucha gorgeous shade. “Shamrocker” has caught my eye too. Thanks for the swatches + info, Christine!

  5. Ceriene

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    Loving Buns, Nice Melons and Mermaid! Would love to pick these up ASAP. Thanks for the swatches and the pictures, Christine. The color pay off with these shadows is lovely.

    I’m with you on wishing for some matte/semi-matte colors though. I think Benefit just needs more colors for this line. Their formula is awesome.

  6. Naz

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    Ooooh Nice Melons and Mermaid are just my kinda colours! Gorgeous¬

  7. Jennifer

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    omg i love these swatches! thanks for posting these, at first i thought these LE shades are not that appealing, lol! now i’m tempted to pick up 6 of them!

  8. Courtney

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    Mmmmm Shamrocker…

  9. Jazz

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    they look gorgeous :) thanks as always for the swatches

  10. egon

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    Nice Melons,Mermaid and Fancy Pansy are mine =) thanks Christine great swatches as usual

  11. Andrea

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    Wow, mermaid and pansy are gorgeous!

  12. Miriam

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    I would say that nice melons looks just like paradisco from mac and buns close to honey lust. I really like shamrocker and mermaid (gonna check it out, see how it looks in real life) :)

  13. Ally

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    shamrocker will be mine. Thanks for the review.

  14. Meghann

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    Gorgeous! I love these colors and they are perfect for spring. Will definitely put this on the list to grab.

  15. Ilaria

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    Fancy pansy looks really nice!

  16. Gretchen

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    I just have to say, I lol’d when I saw Nice Melons. My nickname for one of my friends is Melons, and I’m sure you can guess why. XDDDDD

  17. Crystal

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    Wow! I’m loving these colors so much! I definitely want Nice Melons and Buns.

  18. Nicole Straka

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    I like Nice Melons, Shamrocker and Mermaid. I haven’t tried Benefit eyeshadows yet but I want to. I love Benefit Creaseless shadows.

  19. Marcia

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    I’m loving Nice Melons and Mermaid!~

  20. Sixx

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    Nice Melons looks like UD’s “X”..

  21. Alexandria

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    How similar are these to the new Urban Decay Stardust eye shadows?

    • Christine

      Tuesday, January 26, 2010

      Not even in the same family… Stardust are glitter eyeshadows, these don’t have any glitter at all!

  22. Alma

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    This one is totally worth checking out for me, I love the colors!

  23. LNU

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    I completely agree with what you said about mermaid, a little bolder would have been lovely! I adore nice melons, I’m a sucker for peaches!

    • LNU

      Wednesday, February 3, 2010

      I never tried the benefit velvet line before but after your review I was convinced! I went today and just bought one shade and I love it! I have REALLY oily lids, so I just crease away, but I’m 8 hours crease free! After your review on sin, I tried UDPP instead of a MAC Paint and I think that definitely has something to do with it! Thanks for the advice Christine! :)

      • Christine

        Wednesday, February 3, 2010

        YAY!! Which one did you get?

        • LNU

          Thursday, February 4, 2010

          I got rich beach! :)
          I actually went to Sephora and I was looking for Nice Melons but my Sephora didn’t have any of these, only the permanent velvet line, I don’t know why?

          • Christine

            Saturday, February 6, 2010

            YAY!

            They might not have ‘em in stores yet, since they’re new for Spring. Hopefully soon though!

            • LNU

              Sunday, February 7, 2010

              Strange, I went to Macys one block away from that Sephora and they had them! I ended up not liking nice melons, but I bought bikini line and buckle bunny because its gonna be on my next billing cycle mwahaha! :D

  24. Nicki

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    Nice Melons is LOVELY! Reminds me of UD Scandal, from one of their Book of Shadows…volume 1 I think. But it was exclusive to that palette, and it’s one of my favorite shadows, so I might have to pick up one of these. Thanks for the swatches!

  25. Never Enough Nails

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    Oooo I love these! I think I’ll get Nice Melons and Shamrocker definitely. There’s something about Benefit products that just suck me in… LOL

  26. mediumcrazy

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    I’m on a major Benefit kick (I love the creaseless cream shadows) and I really want to try these, but I can’t bring myself to spend $19 on one little shadow. Does anyone know if the velvet eyeshadows ever go on sale or show up in value sets??

    • Christine

      Tuesday, January 26, 2010

      Sometimes they do! I think maybe one or two went on sale last season… but yeah, not too often! I don’t remember value sets with these in ‘em.

  27. Paulina

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    I really like the packaging. Nice melons is my favorite color!!

  28. LiLi

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    DOES ANYONE KNOW IF YOU CAN DEPOT THESE?!?! Love two of the shades, but I’m trying to only purchase shadows that I can place in a palette for travel purposes. Any help would be great!! Christine, do you know??

    <3

    • Christine

      Tuesday, January 26, 2010

      I’m sure you could find a way, though I’ve never attempted it, LOL.

  29. resham

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    BUNS AND NICE MELONS ARE COOL…THEY ARE SO LOVELY…:)

  30. gio

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    I love the packaging, it’s so cute! The colors are beautiful too, esp Mermaid.

  31. Tatyana

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    OOH, Shamrocker, Mermaid and Fansy Pansy look great. I am definitely going to get those. I can see doing a lot with Shamrocker on the lid and something dark in the crease.

  32. Jennifer

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    Colors are so gorgeous! However I don’t wear colors that often to persuade me to get some.
    I do love LOVE these shadows…Heck I might just get “Fancy Pansy” because I liked Pansy flowers (even if they didn’t mean that with the naming lol). I do love to wear purple or green when I do wear colored e/s.

  33. Trisha

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    Ohh, I like it! It looks like it goes on so smooth. And shimmery!

  34. Ellie

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    ooh! i want nice melons, mermaid, shamrocker, fancy pansy, and bo peep!
    so basically all of them except buns hahah…

  35. Allie

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    How similar is nice melons to mac’s paradisco? they look a little similar to me, although paradisco’s texture is not my favorite. also, have you heard anything about a hello kitty anniversary launch? i was at a mac counter yesterday, and a salesperson said it was launching the second week of february!

    • Christine

      Tuesday, January 26, 2010

      A lot less pink – Nice Melons is closest to MAC Melon pigment, for reference! The texture of Nice Melons is way better than Paradisco, though.

      Spring Colour Forecast is the anniversary collection for HK!

  36. Megan

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    Mermaid and Fancy Pancy are my favorite. Benefit e/s are amazing!

  37. knownever

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    I love the packaging! although I wish the shades were more saturated, but that’s always how I feel about Spring shades.

  38. Laura

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    I die over Mermaid, it seems relatively unique! Can’t wait till these come in stock on Sephora!

  39. Angela

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    seriously lemming Fancy Pansy cuz it looks quite similar to UD asphyxia (my favorite color)

  40. Luisafer

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    by just seeing the palette didn’t catch my attention, but seeing it on you arm LOL, I really really like it!!! nice soft colors!!!

  41. Tabi

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    Hi Christine!

    How would you compare Nice Melons to MAC Paradisco? I think maybe Paradisco has a little more pink and less gold to it, but not sure if they’re distinctly different enough to warrant having both. What do you think?

    Thanks! =)

    • Christine

      Tuesday, January 26, 2010

      It’s similar, but I’d say it has less pink than Paradisco (so your assumption is right!). The texture is a zillion times better!

      • Tabi

        Tuesday, January 26, 2010

        Thank you so much!

  42. xoBellaCullenxo

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    “Mermaid” is really pretty!!!!! :)

  43. Brenda

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    hmmm…. Nice Melons totally reminds me of X by UD, as another post mentioned. I’m feelin the greens though!! I’ve been on a huge green kick lately.

  44. amy

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    All the colours are very pretty and cute! I wished it came together in a 6 piece palette because all the colours work so well together. Shamrock looks a bit like MAC Aquavert to me.

  45. ezzie

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    ooh, pretty~
    & i SO agree that benefit should come out with a line of matte shadows! i’ve been sorta having this matte-obsession lately. Lol :P
    benefit’s single eyeshadow packaging will always be the prettiest to look at. tehee

  46. Mel

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    Oooo I’m loving Nice Melons and Shamrocker!

  47. Jackie

    Tuesday, January 26, 2010

    please do a look with these asap! :)

  48. Rosanna

    Wednesday, January 27, 2010

    Bo Peep & Shamrocker caught my eye but the price tag makes me wary. It’ll likely be more here in Canada. I hope MAC turns out similar colours then!

    • Nicole

      Thursday, February 4, 2010

      These are mighty lovely :)
      But do you think Mermaid is similar to MAC’s Steamy? They both seem to have that gold undertone

      • Christine

        Saturday, February 6, 2010

        Kind of – like if you have Steamy, you could probably hold off on Mermaid. Mermaid isn’t as dark and a little less green, I’d say, but still similar.

  49. Shannon

    Monday, February 8, 2010

    I must own Fancy Pansy and Shamrocker!!! I just bought MACs Beautiful Iris eyeshadow, which is NOT showing up, so I’ll try my luck with Fancy Pansy.

  50. Kate

    Saturday, February 20, 2010

    Can you only get Shamrocker through Benefit’s website? I wonder if Sephora will ever get it.

    • Christine

      Monday, February 22, 2010

      Hmm, that is odd!

  51. Annie

    Sunday, March 14, 2010

    I kind of want them all… :]