Estee Lauder Blonde Gold Eye Metals ($45.00 for 0.10 oz.) is a light gold with moderate, warm undertones and a sparkling, metallic finish. For swatching purposes, I tried it dry as well as damp, but it was fairly pigmented even without the use of a dampened brush. The texture was smooth, dense, and more-cream like, which helped the eyeshadow stay together on the lid and have minimal fallout over time. The eyeshadow was blendable, though there were bits of sparkle that came away from the area when I was blending it out. It wore well for six and a half hours before creasing on me.
It is supposed to be a “rich color powder eyeshadow” that is “densely pigmented” that can be worn alone or layered. There are two shades in the collection, and they performed similarly, though Bitter Clove is a bit richer overall and longer wearing. They were nicely pigmented with very dense, almost cream-like textures that blended out easily on the lid and adhered to bare lids. I found that they were prone to creasing within six hours of wear, but the wear time improved to eight hours (before creasing) over primer, so primer helped but ultimately, this was not an ultra long-wearing formula. I did not experience much fall out, though, despite the high sparkle content in Bitter Clove (Charred Emerald has more of a pearly sheen). I liked them, but at the price point, it’s definitely a lot for a single eyeshadow, so they’re not going to be worth it for everyone.
Estee Lauder Noir Vanille Victoria Beckham Eye Duo ($60.00 for 0.06 oz.) is a basic set of shades featuring a medium beige and a dark black both with more matte finishes. Noir proved more difficult to apply and blend out, and I suspect that many will prefer a black eyeshadow that’s more forgiving–one that can be used intensely but also more gradually–and Noir was not that. Vanille was much easier to use but easily duped with a myriad of brands and shades given it is a basic neutral color (nothing wrong with that but lots of competition this color family).
The duo contains a bit less than the average full-sized eyeshadow (0.05 oz. and these are 0.03 oz. each), despite the compact being more substantial in size. I also had to be careful as the mirror was so heavy that the palette would not stay flat on the table unless I had the mirror angled slightly over the eyeshadow pans to keep it from tipping.
Estee Lauder Bleu Electrique Nude Victoria Beckham Eye Duo ($60.00 for 0.06 oz.) pairs a bright, cobalt blue with a golden brown both with more matte finishes. The problematic shade was Bleu Electrique, which proved difficult to apply, blend, and had poorer wear, but the color darkened within minutes of application to a navy blue rather than a bright cobalt, even when I tried it over primer a second time. Nude performed much better, though it did not wear as long as I would have expected.
The duo contains a bit less than the average full-sized eyeshadow (0.05 oz. and these are 0.03 oz. each), despite the compact being more substantial in size. I also had to be careful as the mirror was so heavy that the palette would not stay flat on the table unless I had the mirror angled slightly over the eyeshadow pans to keep it from tipping.
Estee Lauder Saphir Orange Vif Victoria Beckham Eye Duo ($60.00 for 0.06 oz.) is a bold duo featuring a deep navy blue and a brighter, medium orange both with more matte finish. They appeared quite matte in the pan and swatched, but there were very, very fine micro-sparkles in Saphir and quite possibly Orange Vif but was so hard to detect by eye–I only saw the flecks really come through in the look I did. For the price point, they aren’t high enough quality; they are trickier to use, and the two together do not blend together particularly well as Saphir gets patchy as it layers over Orange Vif. There are only two shades, so shouldn’t the two blend nicely together?
The duo contains a bit less than the average full-sized eyeshadow (0.05 oz. and these are 0.03 oz. each), despite the compact being more substantial in size. I also had to be careful as the mirror was so heavy that the palette would not stay flat on the table unless I had the mirror angled slightly over the eyeshadow pans to keep it from tipping.
Estee Lauder Desert Heat Victoria Beckham Lip Gloss ($36.00 for 0.09 oz.) is a muted, medium brown with warm, yellow undertones and cream finish. The color applied somewhat unevenly on the lips, though it did not sink too badly into lip lines.
The formula can be “worn alone or over” a lip pencil or lipstick and has a “hydrating feel” but is “non-drying.” It had medium coverage with a smooth, lightweight texture that was slightly tacky but comfortable to wear. It lasted for two and a half hours on me and was neither drying nor hydrating on me. The formula had a sweet fig scent to me and had a faint soapy taste at times.
Estee Lauder London Victoria Beckham Eye Palette ($75.00 for 0.28 oz.) is a deflating release from a collaboration that was known for its higher quality–that while incredibly expensive, the majority of products delivered on their promises, but this was a total and utter disappointment.
The eyeshadows did not apply well, nor did they stay on for longer than three hours, without primer. I had to use primer just to get enough product to show up visibly on the lid to give you an idea of the “look” one could create from the palette, and even then, it still turned out poorly with unevenness, patchiness, fading within mere minutes. The “look” above is using as much as eight layers of product, packed on, and pressed on with fingertips or with the product used damp over primer (Smashbox 24HR). I have dents in my pans from jabbing and scraping at the surfaces in an attempt to get something usable out of it.
Now, one thing to keep in mind is that Blanc was supposed to be “sheer” and Gris was described as “translucent” so the lack of coverage not entirely unexpected, but the formula itself was also described as “buildable” and “blends easily” and “smooths on evenly.” Unfortunately, regardless of whether one prefers sheer or more pigmented eyeshadow, the quality of the application, blendability, texture, and wear of all four shades was dismal. None of them were worth the money, and none of them were even worth the words I’m wasting my time writing here.
