NARS Delphes Eyeshadow Trio ($45.00 for 0.17 oz.) is described as a trio of “sparkling sheer peach, matte dove grey, and frosted sage.” It is a limited edition piece from the fall collection, which is slated to hit retailers in August but currently available online at NARS.
The first shade in the trio is a soft, shimmering peach champagne that’s a little sheer with chunky, silver glitter. It is similar to Inglot #397, while Urban Decay Virgin has a less shimmery finish and a pinker look. The texture itself has a subtle grittiness from the glitter, and it does leave behind some glitter fall out, and if one uses it as a brow highlighter, you’ll probably find a few stray glittery bits in your brows a few hours later.
The second shade is a bluish-gray with a matte finish but the shade itself has little specks of sparkle. Like the first shade, it is sheerer than expected. Inglot #339 is similar in color but darker. This color blends out easily, but because it starts off sheerer, it requires some building for good color intensity when applied and a light hand to blend.
The last shade of the trio is a springy green with a part frost, part metallic finish. This was the most pigmented shade of the three. It has more of a silver sheen compared to Urban Decay Urb, while theBalm Run Around Rebecca has a brown-like sheen in comparison.
This trio of colors should appeal to those who prefer their eyeshadows soft, subtle, and generally sheerer. One of the three shades is nicely pigmented, but the other two are on the sheerer side, while the peach shade is described specifically as sheer, the other two are not and should conform to NARS’ description of the trios (“highly pigmented, long-wearing, and crease-resistant”). Generally, I get about seven to eight hours of decent wear before there is subtle creasing when these are worn alone–I always recommend an eyeshadow primer underneath these. (I don’t think that, on its own, is a deal-breaker–most of us use eyeshadow bases regularly–but I include it because it is part of the product’s claims.)
I like the packaging that NARS has embraced for the trios, because the divider between each shade (and even distribution of each color) makes it easy to use the shades individually without blending the two together. The rubberized packaging makes these less prone to breaking upon impact (because it absorbs some of the impact better than a hard plastic would), and it’s easier to hold. Each compact also includes a mirror inside, which is a nice bonus.
Not NARS' best trio--I can see this appealing to a set of buyers who gravitate towards subtle, softened colors, but it's not really what this palette is supposed to be, based on NARS' description.
Product
7.5/10
Pigmentation
7.5/10
Texture
8/10
Longevity
8/10
Application
3.5/5
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CoverGirl Turquoise Tempest Eye Enhancers Eyeshadow ($3.47 for 0.09 oz.) is a muted blue-teal with a semi-matte finish. It has a very subtle shimmer, but it’s hardly noticeable when worn. I found the color was rather like the color in the pan–both had a dusty quality to them–so it didn’t seem in-your-face bright. The color payoff was good initially, but it sheers out very easily, which means it doesn’t apply as well on the lid as it swatches.
It has a tendency to look faded even though it has just been applied if you make an attempt to blend it out on the lid. The color didn’t fade much over eight hours though there was a bit of fall out, but it was difficult to get true-to-pan color on the lid from the get-go. The texture was also a little powdery and didn’t always apply evenly. I found the best results were achieved when you packed on the product and didn’t blend too much–just stick to the edges.
This is something that would be nice for someone who wants to experiment with brighter colors without breaking the bank, but for someone who loves their brights, this may be more of a disappointment.
Product
7/10
Pigmentation
7/10
Texture
8.5/10
Longevity
8.5/10
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.
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There are three more MAC Mineralize Eyeshadows ($20.00 for 0.07 oz.) included in the Semi-Precious collection: Dark Indulgence (melange of forest green and black), Faux Gold (melange of coral, gold, lime, and bronze), and Quartz Fusion (melange of soft pink, silver, and deep pink).
Dark Indulgence is a blackened forest green whether used dry or wet, but when it is applied wet, the metallic sheen is more pronounced, making the overall shade look a little brighter. MAC She Who Dares has a grittier texture because it is more of a glitter finish than shimmer finish, and it also has a lot of gold shimmer, which makes it more of a yellow-based green and more reflective. They’re not completely different, but there are some gaps. Inglot #414 is similar but more reflective, so the base doesn’t seem as black. It is also similar to MAC Greengrease Greasepaint Stick, but it is more pigmented.
Faux Gold is a muted coppery brown with warm undertones. It’s softer and sheerer when used dry. It is lighter than MAC Antiqued but darker than MAC Amber Lights (which appears more golden). Milani Fusion seemed similar but it’s not as coppery. It’s actually a bit like Urban Decay Shag, but it seems a touch redder in undertone.
Quartz Fusion is a sheer raspberry pink when used dry, and then it’s more of a raspberry pink when applied damp. It’s very, very gritty from the chunky glitter that dominates the pan. It tended to apply unevenly when I swatched it.
Quartz Fusion is an absolute miss for me; the chunky glitter gets everywhere. It’s also rather underwhelming when used dry–sheer, almost dirty looking, compared to the color achieved when used wet. Dark Indulgence is the best of these three: great color payoff with a soft and smooth texture. The wear would still be a concern even for a shade like Dark Indulgence, but it gets high marks on the other rating criteria. Faux Gold is somewhere in the middle–slightly sheer when used dry but overall, the texture is smooth and payoff is decent to good.
In this overall review, Quartz Fusion really brings down the overall rating of the other two here, which is why I tend to review products individually so each can stand on its own merits, rather than being pushed down (or buffered by) other shades.
Please make sure you check out my full review on the eyeshadows, as this post does not fully address the pros/cons of the overall formula.
Dark Indulgence is certainly better than C+ overall (think B+), while Faux Gold is more like a B-, but it is Quartz Fusion, however, that brings the overall rating down, because on its own, it would be a F.
Product
8/10
Pigmentation
8.5/10
Texture
8.5/10
Longevity
7/10
Application
3.5/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
MAC Cosmetics, July 7th, $20.00 each
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.
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This next look at Inglot’s Matte Eyeshadows ($4.50 to $7.00 each for 0.09 oz.) features several variations on purple.
377 is a deep royal purple with a matte finish, though I detected a slight micro-shimmer. This shade was a little patchy.
379 is a medium-dark blue-purple with a matte finish. This shade was powdery and sheer in places.
325 is a rich eggplant purple with a matte finish.
375 is an eggplant purple with a matte finish–it is just a lighter version of #325. It has a slightly stronger red undertone.
320 is a medium grape purple with a matte finish. It was a little sheer in places.
386 is a lightened medium purple with red undertones and a matte finish. It was patchy and easily sheered out.
334 is a pink lavender with a matte finish. I also had some evenness issues with this shade.
346 is a light lilac with a matte finish.
While I’ve had fairly good luck with Inglot’s matte eyeshadows in the past, I found a lot of these troublesome. Several shades did not apply evenly, so the end result was a patchy swatch that was sheer in places and opaque elsewhere. I was rather disappointed in how these swatched, so I played around with them in application, and they were better but not as stellar as the rest of the matte range. The only shades out of these that I recommended are #325 and #375.
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.
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Butter London Branwen’s Feather Nail Lacquer ($14.00 for 0.4 fl. oz.) is described as a “purple-ish black with loads of depth and shine … like a silky raven’s feather at midnight by the Tower.” After reading the official description, I can see what they mean. It is a very blackened eggplant-y purple with flecks of plum and silver shimmer shot through. It dries slightly shiny, but I would still say you need a top coat to really make it gleam.
I used two coats and there was some underlying streakiness in areas that were more visible in natural light than I expected–I photographed with two coats. I would recommend three coats for opaque, solid coverage. The formula seemed thin, too, which I imagine contributed to the lack of opacity in two coats as well as the streaky second coat. It doesn’t seem consistent with the rest of Butter London’s range (that I have tried, of course), so it was disappointing. I typically get a week of wear with Butter London’s formula with a proper base and top coat.
The formula of Branwen's Feather is nowhere as nice as several other Butter London polishes that I have tried. It required three coats for opaque color coverage, and the formula was streaky and thin.
Product
7/10
Pigmentation
7/10
Texture
7/10
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.
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MAC Packed to Go was originally a duty free launch, but it’s landed online at maccosmetics.com now. It features several sets of products, and I’m reviewing three of the offerings. The reason I am not reviewing the rest is because they contain products I’ve reviewed in the past or are permanent shades. 4 Lips & Pressed Powder ($38.00) contains four lipglasses: Riviera Ready (warm light nude), Poetic License (pale apricot), Rosehips (mid-tone rosy pink), and Quick Change (mid-tone cool blue rose) along with one powder: Belightful (gilded peach bronze). Poetic License, Rosehips, and Belightful are repromotes.
Riviera Ready is a warm, yellow-based nude with soft gold shimmer. It is semi-sheer on lips. C-Thru is the closest permanent gloss, but it is less warm and creamier.
Poetic License is a milky peach-pink with subtle pink and gold micro-shimmer. It is semi-sheer on lips. It seems closest to Florabundance.
Rosehips is a rosy plum with a creamy finish. It is semi-opaque on lips. It is lighter than Lust.
Quick Change is a rpasberry pink with lots of golden shimmer. It is semi-sheer on lips. I can’t think of a permanent dupe in MAC’s line for this, but it is similar to Korres #18 Peach lipstick.
Belightful is a champagne bronze with flecks of bronze glitter. The glitter is noticeable on skin but not chunky. I did feel it emphasized the texture of my skin, though. Try theBalm’s Mary Lou-manizer as a dupe.
If you’re familiar with MAC’s holiday palettes from last year, the packaging is very similar–this palette is just all black and has no special design on the outside. Each lipglass well contains 0.049 oz. of product (total of 0.196 oz.), while the powder is 0.17 oz. In the palette, you’re getting $16.72 worth of lipglass and $13.96 worth of powder (I believe the Iridescent Powder retailed for $23 for 0.28 oz.). The palette is actually more expensive than the amount of product you actually get, though you do get to try five different products for $38.
The lipglasses are always sheerer in the palettes than they are in tubes, which makes application frustrating. Belightful was sheer and difficult to apply evenly.
Product
7.5/10
Pigmentation
7/10
Texture
8/10
Longevity
9/10
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!
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