bareMinerals The September Issue Eyeshadow Palette Review, Photos, Swatches

Christine — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 19:54:03 +0000

bareMinerals The September Issue Eyeshadow Palette

The September Issue is Packed with Value and Quality

bareMinerals The September Issue Eyeshadow Palette ($40.00 for 0.28 oz.) includes eight eyeshadows: Couture (glimmering clove), Silhouette (antique white), Statement (vibrant orchid), Pret-a-Porter (sunbaked gold), Tres Chic (apricot cream), Editor’s Pick (metallic teal), Glitterati (shimmering pink), and Ensemble (deepest eggplant).

Each eyeshadow is 0.035 oz., as compared to the average full-sized eyeshadow, which is 0.05 oz. (and bareMinerals’ Ready eyeshadows in the duos and quads are 0.05 oz.). In duos, they’re $20/0.10 oz.; quads are $30/0.17 oz., and 8-pan palettes are $40/0.28 oz.–which breaks out to $200/oz., $176/oz., and $143/oz. I love that they give you a little more as you buy larger palettes. Just to put those prices in context, MAC single eyeshadows are $300/oz., while their duos are $275/oz. and quads are $210/oz.

Couture is a neutral-cool dark brown with a subdued bronze shimmer-sheen. It had really good color payoff and was soft, finely-milled, and smooth. Girogio Armani #24 is a bit darker. Dior Golden Savannah is warmer, a touch more golden. NARS Paramaribo is more red-toned. Urban Decay Snakebite is much warmer, browner. Tarina Tarantino Dreamy has more red in its undertone.

Silhouette is a pale, warm white with a pearly sheen. It had good pigmentation and applied smoothly. Dior Night Golds is frostier. Too Faced Vanilla has more beige in it. Givenchy Lune Mysterieuse is similar but more frosted.

Statement is a fuchsia-magenta with a matte finish. It is a smidgen powdery, but it has good color payoff and does apply evenly and smoothly on the eye. MAC Infra-violet is pinker, lighter, and has shimmer. Sugarpill 2AM is similar but has very, very fine shimmer. Bobbi Brown Ultra Violet is a touch more purple. Urban Decay Purple Haze is more purple. Urban Decay Fishnet is shimmery and iridescent.

Pret-a-Porter is a molten honey gold with strong yellow undertones and a frosted finish. It had excellent color payoff, and it was a cinch to work with: super smooth and soft. OCC Triptych is yellower, less orange-toned, and has a metallic finish. Urban Decay Honey is less orange-toned. NARS Paramaribo is more antique-y. Inglot #404 is less yellow.

Tres Chic is a subdued peach with a mostly matte finish. It had good pigmentation, and it was soft, smooth, and not at all powdery. Chanel Premier Regard is similar. Cinderella Pumpkin Coach is yellower. Dolce & Gabbana Cocoa is lighter. Inglot #328 is a touch lighter.

Editor’s Pick is a deep green-teal with an almost blackened base and a frosted finish. Urban Decay Hijack is bluer. Illamasqua Android is darker, smidgen bluer. Milani Mix It Up is brighter. Urban Decay Loaded is less frosted, darker (blacker base). Bare Escentuals Max Volume is pretty similar.

Glitterati is a light pink with a golden shimmer-sheen. It had good pigmentation, and it applied very smoothly. MAC radial Pink is lighter, less golden. Chanel Harmonie du Soir is darker, no golden sheen. MAC Invicible Light is a yellower pink without the golden sheen.

Ensemble is a dark burgundy-brown with a matte finish. This shade swatched unevenly, but applied to the eye, it performed better. It was very pigmented, so a little goes a long way. The texture was slightly powdery. theBalm Presto is similiar but warmer. Tarina Tarantino Saw Dust Heart is darker, blacker. MAC Midnight Flurry is comparable in color. MAC Embark is redder, warmer. Inglot #378 is similar.

Quite honestly, bareMinerals’ Ready range is an eyeshadow formula I could use and use exclusively and not feel like I was missing out. It is a truly excellent formula with a wide range of colors and finishes. They are consistently top notch in quality, but I love that they really reach across the spectrum of color. You have pops of color plus a strong neutral range. I’ve been a huge fan of the Ready eyeshadow range since it debuted, and I continue to be impressed by the recent releases.

The September Issue is a Sephora-exclusive, and it’s an interesting mix of colors, from color to neutral and warm to cool shades. There were two shades (Statement and Ensemble) that were a bit powdery, though they were both very soft, finely-milled mattes. The other six shades performed incredibly well. I wore several of the shades in a look, and I had no problems getting a full eight hours of wear without creasing or fading without a primer.