Estee Lauder Fall 2011: Modern Mercury Eyeshadow Duo

Estee Lauder Modern Mercury Eyeshadow Duo ($30.00 for 0.12 oz.) is a limited edition duo from fall’s Modern Mercury collection (but it’s still available!). Estee Lauder’s Pure Color Eyeshadow formula is purported to be long-wearing, crease-resistant, and fade-proof (without a primer). In my experience, they manage to get to eight hours with minor fading but no creasing.

The lightest shade is a white-silver with a soft shimmer-sheen; it’s not too metallic, which is nice to see as many silvers tend to be full-on metallics. Bobbi Brown Iced Blue is cooler-toned. MAC Forgery is brighter. I wish the color payoff was better–it’s a bit sheer and doesn’t apply as smoothly as I’d like. The darker shade is a silvery gray with a shimmer-sheen finish. Inglot #339 is a bit darker but similar in tone. It has a slightly powdery texture, so it does not apply smoothly. It has decent pigmentation but could use more intensity to yield true-to-pan color.

The Glossover

	Estee Lauder Modern Mercury Eyeshadow Duo Review, Photos, Swatches B
	The colors coordinate well with each other for a softer smoky eye, but the quality is so-so. It's not too impressive for such a basic combo; you're better off investing in really excellent basic shades like these.
	Product 8.5/10 Pigmentation 8/10 Texture 8/10 Longevity 9/10 Application 4/5
	Where to Buy
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Estee Lauder Modern Mercury Eyeshadow Duo

Estee Lauder Modern Mercury Eyeshadow Duo

Estee Lauder Modern Mercury Eyeshadow Duo

Estee Lauder Modern Mercury Eyeshadow Duo

Estee Lauder Modern Mercury Eyeshadow Duo

Estee Lauder Black Chrome Eyeshadow Duo

Estee Lauder Black Chrome Pure Color Eyeshadow Duo ($30.00 for 0.12 oz.) is a limited edition offering from the Modern Mercury collection.  The combination is classic, though for many of us, superfluous; it’s a set of dark, smoky hues that would work well to smoke out any look.  I liked how there are two textures presented.

On the left, there is a dark black with a semi-matte finish–just a hint of sheen–that has soft but dry texture. The color payoff is good, without being too chalky, and it doesn’t skip and drag. It’s similar to several other blacks like MAC Carbon and Inglot #391.  It does, however, perform better during application than swatched directly on an arm; the fluffiness of brush bristles seems to enhance some of the drier eyeshadow formulas.

Next to the black eyeshadow, there is a dark gray with multi-colored shimmer–I detected teal, silver, and green mostly. The pigmentation could use some improvement; it’s decent to good, but it’s a little sheer. The texture is soft, so it does apply smoothly overall. It reminded me of Bobbi Brown Black Sparkle. Urban Decay Gunmetal appears similar, too!

The Pure Color Eyeshadow formula is actually designed to be long-wearing without creasing or fading.  When I wore this color combination alone on the eye (without primer!), it performed well overall, but I did see very slight fading at eight hours but no creasing.  It certainly didn’t disappear, though, and I’d say to the average onlooker, they wouldn’t say, “Wow, use a primer!”  I have normal-to-dry eyelids, so for those with oilier lids, you may still want to use a primer underneath these.

The Glossover

	Estee Lauder Black Chrome Eyeshadow Duo Review, Photos, Swatches B
	Quality-wise, this duo is good--if the colors really grab you, or you love how they're housed together, it might be worth picking up. Both shades could be a little more pigmented to provide truer-to-pan color.
	Product 8.5/10 Pigmentation 8.5/10 Texture 8.5/10 Longevity 9/10 Application 4/5
	Where to Buy
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See more photos & swatches!

Estee Lauder Black Chrome Eyeshadow Duo

Estee Lauder Black Chrome Eyeshadow Duo

Estee Lauder Black Chrome Eyeshadow Duo

Estee Lauder Black Chrome Eyeshadow Duo

Estee Lauder Black Chrome Eyeshadow Duo