Any other beauty buffs as enthusiastic as I am when it comes to antique golds? It’s absolutely one of my favorite shades to wear. My two top favorites are both difficult to get, as one is only available overseas (Giorgio Armani #14 Eyes to Kill Intense) and the other was a limited edition shade from eons ago (MAC Rye). An honorable mention goes to Urban Decay Maui Wowie, which has frustrating fall out from the micro-glitter, but the color itself is amazing–it’s one of the few fallout-prone eyeshadows I’ll bother to work with.
These are five brown eyeshadows that I really love — as requested by reader Sarah! There are a ton of amazing brown eyeshadows (probably one of the easiest shades to do well, from my experience), and these are just five of many.
Giorgio Armani Khaki Pulse (6) Eyes to Kill Intense Eyeshadow
Intensity Maximized with Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Intense
Giorgio Armani Khaki Pulse (6) Eyes to Kill Intense Eyeshadow ($32.00 for 0.14 oz.) is described as neither powder nor cream but a hybrid that creates a “smooth, lasting color film” that can be applied wet or dry. Giorgio Armani explains, “Each shade is intensified with a second pigment for a multi-dimensional effect. In just one swoop, create a wet, shimmering smokey eye … Base color covers eyelid, and second pigment adds drama to the contour.”
There are some high-stakes claims, too — Giorgio Armani says to expect, “Twenty four hour color wear, crease proof, flake proof, waterproof and sweat-proof, Eyes To Kill Intense Eyeshadows slide on, stay on, but wipe off in an instant.” It hits every single one of these claims and does it with effortless grace. I’ve been beauty blogging for five years this October, and I’ve been a beauty addict connoisseur for even longer (has it really been seven years?), but I was incredibly impressed by the Eyes to Kill Intense Eyeshadow line.
I hold my highest rating closely guarded, because it should be something given to truly remarkable products. Let’s just say I went out and bought all of the ones I didn’t have, because I thought they were that fantastic. The quality of Khaki Pulse is out-of-this-world-crazy-in-love good–rich, dense, silky smooth, and blendable to boot. It even looks cool in its pot o’ glass–like crushed up space rocks. In particular, Khaki Pulse looks as good wet as it does dry (you tell me if you can tell which is which!). The color itself is a rich bronze with a soft gold and bronze metallic sheen and multi-colored micro-shimmer, and it is only slightly warm.
I wore it alone as an eyeshadow (with nothing underneath or on top), just blended past the crease, and it looked the same nine hours later. No creasing, fading, or smudging. And even better? No fall out. The texture of these feels almost like a cream eyeshadow, but it has the thinness of a powder eyeshadow while retaining some of the blendability of the hybrid cream-powder eyeshadow. It also works well with other eyeshadow (see this look).
Though pricey, each shade comes with 0.14 oz. worth of product, which is a hefty amount (normal eyeshadow averages around 0.05 oz., no matter the price). The only aspect I didn’t love was the little black stopper inside the jar (once you unscrew the black lid), because my longer fingers felt awkward grabbing it (so I just unscrew it upside down so it falls into the cap).
It's an eyeshadow you can wear alone, as a base, or on a base, because it's budge-proof, crease-proof, and wears all day long. The pigmentation is rich, and the texture is luxuriously soft and smooth.
Product
10/10
Pigmentation
10/10
Texture
10/10
Longevity
10/10
Application
5/5
Login or Register to be able to add this to your Vanity or Wishlist! Plus rate and review!
Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
Bronze & Blue Look with Estee Lauder, Giorgio Armani, & Urban Decay
I’m trying be more organized and do things more methodically, which means trying to review products more timely! I wanted to test out a few products from Estee Lauder’s Bronze Goddess ’11 edition, while also trial the wear of a new tinted moisturizer (this is the fifth time I’ve worn it, though). I hope to review several of the products I tested here today and tomorrow
Substitutes: Pink-Teal = use an eyeshadow base (for this look); Sea Star = Bobbi Brown Nectar
For eyes, start by applying Pink-Teal shadow stick as your eyeshadow base all over the eye area with the 249–take the teal side and apply it to the lid, then apply the pink side above the crease and lightly on brow. Apply #6 eyeshadow to the inner third of the lid with the 239. Next, apply Flipside eyeshadow to the middle of the lid with the 239. Apply Haight eyeshadow to the outer third of the lid and into the crease with the 222. Use Gypsy eyeshadow to highlight the brow bone and diffuse the crease color with the 217. Apply #13 eyeshadow on the lower lash line, and then smudge with #6 eyeshadow using the 219.Finish by sweeping lashes with Inimitable Intense mascara.
For cheeks, apply Sea Star blush on the apples of the cheeks and pat towards the temple with the 116.
For lips, apply Mitsouko lipstick for a complementing lip.
