Buxom Stay-There Eyeshadows Review, Photos, Swatches (Part 1)

Christine — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:00:25 +0000

Buxom Stay-There Eyeshadows

Buxom Stay-There Eyeshadows (Part 1)

Buxom Stay-There Eyeshadow ($17.00 for 0.12 oz.) is a cream-gel-mousse formula that’s designed to have a lightweight texture, yield “vivbrant, lively, buildable” color, be waterproof, and long-wearing. Just for fun, Bare Escentuals made a charitable contribution to Canine Companions for Independence when this product launched. They are also exclusive to Sephora. There are fourteen shades in total, and I will review all of them, but this post focuses on: Black Lab (shimmering black sky), Bulldog (intense royal blue), Chihuahua (bright silver), Cocker Spaniel (opalescent pink), and Collie (sparkling champagne).

I went to Buxom’s site to see if they had a more accurate description of the product’s pigmentation (at least, what it should be), and each shade actually gets a breakdown, which includes listing the type of coverage. All of the shades in the range are described as “sheer, buildable.” They’re vibrant in the pot, but the vibrancy doesn’t translate as much on the lid, so if you’ve steered clear because these look daunting in the pot, then don’t worry about it. If you’ve seen the pot and went, “Whoa!” and wanted opaque color coverage, you’ll be disappointed, as these are true-to-description: they’re sheer. They’re slightly buildable but not enough where you could get opaque color as it looks like in the pan but it varies between shades.

The formula is fun to play with, just because the consistency is unlike most products on the market. These actually launched well before Chanel Illusion d’Ombres, which have a similar texture. Stay-There Eyeshadows have a spongy quality that reminds me of memory foam; you can press it, and it will slowly spring back to form. You can jab at it with a pencil, and you’ll end up shifting it around more than anything!

I like using a really stiff, firm, and flat brush with these, but I’ve had the best luck applying these with fingertips. Once applied, they dry down to a powder finish in just the right time–not instantly but not so long that it’s creased before you’ve finished applying product to the other eye. I’ve tested several shades without primer as washes, including Black Lab, Bulldog, Chihuahua, Collie, Mutt, Pug, Saint Bernard, and Shih Tzu, and I haven’t had any issues with the shades creasing, fading, or smudging. I’ve even worn a few of them during showers to test waterproof claims, and they haven’t budged.

Black Lab has a semi-sheer, semi-matte black base with multi-colored shimmer; you get flecks of green, blue, violet, and silver for the most part. Chanel Mirifique looks similar in the pot, but they’re not very alike swatched. Bobbi Brown Onyx is similar. Bobbi Brown Black Sparkle is a bluer-tinted base.
Bulldog is a semi-sheer medium purple-tinted blue with soft micro-shimmer-sheen. Tarina Tarantino Violet Storm is more intense and slightly purpler. Inglot #336 is somewhat similar but darker and matte.
Chihuahua is a bright, foil-like silver with a metallic finish. This was a really opaque color, actually. MAC Electra is similar but less metallic. Inglot #448 is slightly darker.
Cocker Spaniel is a pale peach with a subtle iridescent finish. It’s not pink on me, but I can see some of a pearly pink in the pot, so I think this is a shade that will look pinker/peachier depending on your undertones (with my yellower undertones, it leans peach). MAC Double Feature 5 is a bit like this but more of a true peach. Make Up For Ever #940 is quite similar but has a stronger iridescent sheen.
Collie is a peachy gold with a frosted, metallic sheen. This was one of the more opaque colors as well. It’s not quite as orange as Dior Couture Gold or as yellow as Urban Decay Blunt.