Cult Nails Always Winning Nail Laquer ($10.00 for 0.5 fl. oz.) is described as a “sheer metallic olive green layering polish with gold and holo glitter.” It’s an olive green with a metallic shimmer threaded through the base color topped off with lots of gold glitter, along with pieces of glitter that look multi-colored in brighter light (see the photo taken with flash). I did three coats in the swatches, and you can see it’s more semi-opaque, but two coats gives you a sheerer look. The formula was on the thinner side but easy to work with, and the glitter spread evenly without having to work at it.
When it comes to a glittery shade like this one, it’s best to let your remover soak on the nail for a little bit and then removing. I just use felt soaked in Zoya Remove+ and press it against the nail for 5-10 seconds, and then I do one pull. I’ve had good luck with wear on Cult Nails’ line so far (I’ve tested three or four shades in full)–getting about a week’s worth of wear without chips.
I like the idea of a sheer metallic, because I think it works to minimize some of the brush strokes often apparent with more metallic finishes. The inclusion of glitter also varies up the finish so you get the metallic finish without the brush strokes.
Product
9.5/10
Pigmentation
10/10
Texture
9/10
Longevity
10/10
Application
4/5
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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!
Here are ten more Urban Decay Eyeshadow Swatches! The Swatch Galleryis really starting to come together, and just seeing all of the swatches show up makes all of the re-swatching completely worth it.
Aquarius is a muted blue with a gray overcast and frosted sheen.
Blaze is lightened coppery brown with a soft, metallic sheen.
Blunt is a medium golden yellow with a soft, frosted finish.
Chronic is a medium-dark grass green with subtly cool undertones and a matte finish.
Ecstasy is a medium-dark violet purple with a soft sheen.
Electric is a bright, cyan blue with a matte finish.
Fishnet is a fuchsia pink with purple iridescence. This is a deluxe eyeshadow.
Freakshow is a deep, dark purple with subtle red undertones and a pearly finish. This is a deluxe eyeshadow.
Frigid is a dark, blue-purple with a pearly finish. This is a deluxe eyeshadow.
Gash is a coppered red with a soft, frosted finish.
Urban Decay Eyeshadows are some of my favorites–they are typically very pigmented, smooth, buttery, and blendable. The only shades to watch for are any that have the word “glitter” or “sparkle” in the description, because they tend to have a micro-glitter that just doesn’t bind with the color base, which means it either disappears between brush and lid (best case scenario) or you end up with a sparkly under eye (worst case scenario). Their matte finishes are soft and finely milled, but a note on application, these are so blendable that it’s easy to overdo it.
Ecstasy was the biggest miss here–it’s a little sheer and soft, you just can’t get as much color out of it as you should. Frigid also seems to be lacking some color payoff, but it isn’t as sheered out as Ecstasy. If you’re looking for more Urban Decay swatches, you can check out our full Urban Decay Eyeshadow Swatch Gallery!
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!
Our look at Inglot’s Matte Eyeshadows ($4.50 to $7.00 each for 0.09 oz.) moves to some of their yellows and greens. (I did show #323 yesterday, but it fits better with this post.) I’m hoping to get through the rest of the matte eyeshadows I have before next weekend, because I know several readers will be heading to IMATS in Pasadena, so I hope this will be helpful.
323 is a bright, medium-dark yellow with a matte finish.
370 is a bright yellow with a little mustard to it and a matte finish.
364 is a soft yellow with a hint of green and a matte finish.
343 is a bright yellowed chartreuse with a matte finish. This felt a little dry and ended up looking powdery and uneven when I swatched it.
333 is a dark hunter green with a matte finish.
331 is a medium-dark grass green with a matte finish.
384 is a medium grass green with a matte finish.
These are really soft mattes; they have a really buttery feel to them, where you can feel the powder loosening as you swatch. They aren’t particularly powdery, though they’ll kick up a little dust if you are heavy handed with your brush. A little product goes a long way, so there’s no reason to jab at the eyeshadow with a brush (something you might have done with past matte eyeshadows). The softness and give allow these to apply smoothly and evenly; there is no patchiness or drag with these. The only downside to these is if you really pack on the color, you might find that it fades (ever-so-marginally) after eight hours; it’s a very minimal drawback, resulting in 0.5 point reduction in longevity.
I had a little trouble with #343, because the texture seemed drier and rather powdery, so it didn’t hold together as well and ended up having a more uneven finish than the other shades.
Edit: Images are fixed – sorry it took so long, I was sleeping.
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!
Cult Nails Captivated Nail Laquer ($10.00 for 0.5 fl. oz.) is described as a “coral jelly polish packed with intense gold and coral glitter.” It’s a pink-coral jelly base with molten gold and coral glitter that spreads really evenly and easily over the nail. It’s best to wait for each coat to dry so that you don’t disturb the existing glitter. I used three coats for a more opaque look, but it has a nice translucence when done with two coats–it’s truer to the squishy, jelly finish with two coats. The formula is very thick; it reminded me of the consistency of hair gel, actually.
Captivated is a limited edition shade, and I know that Maria (creator and founder of Cult Nails) let me know that quantities were dwindling when she sent these for review. I wore Captivated for a week without chipping, and removal is on par with other glitter polishes–it’s best to let your remover soak on the nail for a little bit and then removing. I just use felt soaked in Zoya Remove+ and press it against the nail for 5-10 seconds, and then I do one pull.
This shade totally screams summer--coral, pink, gold, and lots of glittery fun. I didn't think the thicker, gel-like formula would work, but it actually made application easy and the glitter spread evenly.
Product
10/10
Pigmentation
9.5/10
Texture
9/10
Longevity
10/10
Application
4.5/5
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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!
Inglot’s Matte Eyeshadows ($4.50 to $7.00 each for 0.09 oz.) range has a fair amount of peaches/beiges (they seem to have more peach than beige) — plus a bright yellow to cheer the whole group up, since it sits in the last slot of this palette.
328 is a soft, peach beige with a matte finish.
353 is a soft, warmed-up, ultra light peach-beige. with a matte finish
355 is a soft beige with a hint of peach and a matte finish. This is so close to #353, it’s hard to tell them apart.
351 is an ivory with a matte finish.
323 is a bright, medium-dark yellow with a matte finish.
These are really soft mattes; they have a really buttery feel to them, where you can feel the powder loosening as you swatch. They aren’t particularly powdery, though they’ll kick up a little dust if you are heavy handed with your brush. A little product goes a long way, so there’s no reason to jab at the eyeshadow with a brush (something you might have done with past matte eyeshadows). The softness and give allow these to apply smoothly and evenly; there is no patchiness or drag with these. The only downside to these is if you really pack on the color, you might find that it fades (ever-so-marginally) after eight hours; it’s a very minimal drawback, resulting in 0.5 point reduction in longevity.
I did find that #323 was the “worst” of the bunch; it did have some payoff issues, where it applied unevenly and seemed to disappear was I blended it out. #353 and 355 are really similar, as well, and I don’t think one would need both; #353 is just a little warmer.
#323 brings down the overall scores for each metric, just because it isn't consistent with the formula--a little patchy, not as pigmented, and sheers out easily.
Product
9.5/10
Pigmentation
9.5/10
Texture
9.5/10
Longevity
9.5/10
Application
4.5/5
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!
As I mentioned yesterday, I’m going through a lot of permanent eyeshadows from various brands so that we can add more swatches to the Swatch Gallery. Here are eleven Urban Decay eyeshadows (with no real rhyme or reason), and going through all of the pots yesterday made me wish Urban Decay would sell their permanent range in refills. It would be so much more convenient and take up less space!
Dashiki is a medium, brightened blue with a frosted sheen. It seems like it would be comparable to MAC’s Freshwater.
Free Love is a medium-dark coral-orange with a golden shimmer and sheen.
Haight is a medium-dark blue with a hint of teal and blue shimmer.
Lounge is a reddened brown with a teal shimmer and flash. It’s more of a duochrome. At first glance, it seems similar to MAC’s Club, and it is, but it has a lot more red in its base (also more pigmented).
Mary Jane is a steely gray-blue with a silver sheen.
Psychedelic Sister is a dark violet purple with subtle red undertones and a shimmered sheen.
Rush is a darkened gold-bronze with antique gold shimmer and a frosted sheen. It’s similar to Illamasqua Ore but less multi-faceted.
S&M is a medium-dark silver shimmered gray with a frosted finish.
Shakedown is a muted, played-down mushroom brown with a matte finish. It’s a browner version of Burberry Taupe Brown; matte version of Inglot #402.
Urb is an olive green with a golden sheen and antique gold micro-glitter. This a less-than-stellar shade because of the glittery finish; it doesn’t apply evenly and can have a lot of fall out during application.
Woodstock is a bright, medium-dark fuchsia pink with soft pink shimmer and a pearled sheen.
Urban Decay Eyeshadows are some of my favorites–they are typically very pigmented, smooth, buttery, and blendable. The only shades to watch for are any that have the word “glitter” or “sparkle” in the description, because they tend to have a micro-glitter that just doesn’t bind with the color base, which means it either disappears between brush and lid (best case scenario) or you end up with a sparkly under eye (worst case scenario). (Urb is the shade that brings down the overall rating on these.) Their matte finishes are soft and finely milled, but a note on application, these are so blendable that it’s easy to overdo it.
With the exception of Urb, these are all really easy to use, blendable, and nicely pigmented eyeshadows. Urb lacks color payoff, has a grittier texture, and suffers from fall out.
Product
9.5/10
Pigmentation
9.5/10
Texture
9.5/10
Longevity
10/10
Application
4.5/5
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!
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