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Hit List: Most Pigmented Matte Eyeshadow Formula
What’s the Most Pigmented Matte Eyeshadow Formula you’ve tried?
What brand/products win this category? Favorite shades?
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Illamasqua, Mac matte2 and Urban decay 🙂
I like Urban Decay, Make Up For Ever, and Laura Mercier. LM’s newest “artist palette” for the holidays is half shimmer and half matte. The mattes are soft, but not too powdery, and are uber pigmented. I need more amazing mattes in my life. ^_^ I’d love to try Sugarpill and Inglot.
I’d vote for MUFE, their mattes are amazingly pigmented. (almost too much, #92 – the deep purple – stains my eyelids even with a base)
Ditto!
Make Up For Ever makes my favorite matte shadows. Actually, they rank as some of my favorite, in general. Pigmented, smooth and long lasting.
I ADORE Sleek eyeshadows, they’re matte palettes that were released about a year ago (?) are amazing. I have both and then another set for my kit!! I also love Urban Decay’s matte eyeshadows, even though they are so selective. 🙂
Rouge Bunny Rouge, hands down.
I’ve heard great things about that line and would like to try it, but their color options aren’t bold enough for me.
Yeah, they definitely need more colors! The texture is so creamy and lovely though, it’s worth a try. 🙂
I can’t wait to try some RBR. My biggest issue is deciding which ones to try first out of so many gorgeous mattes and shimmers.
My personal faves are Abyssinian Catbird, Blackpepper Jay, Solstice Halcyon, Mysterious Tinamou, and Bejewelled Skylark. XD
It’s hard to go wrong. I will say that their colour descriptions are a lot more accurate than many brands, so if a particular description sounds like something you’d like, it’s a fair bet that you’ll be happy with your purchase.
Well, pretty much every brand has its share of “hits & misses”, and there are several brands in my collection that I’m quite pleased with, overall. That said, as far as being consistent with product releases in this category, I’d have to say MUFE. NARS is a close second, IMO, with the exceptions of Daphne & Outremer, which aren’t *poorly* pigmented, but because the way they are pressed, they can require a bit of work. I also have to admit MAC has a good record when it comes to the matte neutrals in the regular line (with the exception of Carbon…).
dudette..Daphne and Outremer were so disappointing for me too. I bought both as singles at the same time. I really love Outremer so I fight with it on ocassion and always use a wet base, but Daphne just totally pisses me off.
nars coconut grove!!!!!!
Yes!
These are the ones I’ve tried (in no particular order): Inglot, MUFE, Sugarpill (nearly matte), Mac Matte2 and Urban Decay.
INGLOT! I love all their eyeshadow formulas, but their mattes are truly amazing.
MAC’s Handwritten is RIDICULOUS. It’s actually TOO pigmented. If I do anything more than lightly tap the very tips of my brush on the eyeshadow then I’m screwed.
In general though, I don’t find all Matte2 products like that, but that one in particular is nuts.
Inglot mattes IMO, especially 363 and I also like Nars Coconut Groove
MUFE. I have the one in deep purple. It’s almost amazing how pigmented the shadows are. A little goes a long way. I’m surprised they aren’t raved about more. They are smooth, blendable, and overall very nice. They also come with a ton of product in the pan.
It could be that people think $20 is “too expensive”. It’s funny how so many don’t think twice about spending $15 on a MAC shadow, yet balk at $16-17 (UD, for example). It’s not that great a difference, and I’d rather spend a bit more for quality. What’s even more ironic, is MAC raises prices at least once a year, while most other brands pretty much stay the same for several years. MUFE shadows have been the same price they are now for at least 5 years, where MAC has gone up $2.50 in the same time frame.
Interesting. I’m fairly new to makeup, but normally a few bucks isn’t a deal-breaker for me. Thanks for the perspective 🙂
In general, I don’t think that MUFE gets the respect that it deserves. Yeah the HD foundation is great and lots of people know that. In fact a lot of their products are just as good (or better) than MAC. Yet, no one takes about how wonderful their products are. MUFE’s Aqua Creamliner in Black blows MAC’s black Fluidline out of the water. Yet, fluidline has such a following. I just don’t get it. Ok, rant is over.
I just don’t like eyeliner in pencils. I did manage to pick up a MUFE Aqua in black (honestly don’t remember how, it might be a deluxe sample or something), and it is very good. I just prefer liquid or gel most days.
Inglot’s shades have never let me down. Very pigmented, smooth and not chalky, and lasts all day. Plus the price is great.
Rouge Bunny Rouge and Inglot. I’d give the edge to RBR in terms of quality, but for the price, I find it hard to beat Inglot, especially given the variety of colours they have available.
Inglot, MAC, and Nyx!
I love Urban Decay’s older matte formula. I think they have the most amazing texture. Abc Gum is one of my favorite highlighters of all time, I just wish I could have purchased backups of it before they discontinued it.
Ive seen the old pans of ABC Gum on ebay and allcosmeticswholesale
Definitely Sugarpill.
INGLOT is my go-to usually and has replaced most of my other palettes in general but NYX’s matte singles are actually becoming a new favorite for me. They have some ochre-ish matte brown that are beautiful and a nice change from the typical browns. 🙂 Great question!
I absolutely adore inglot and sugarpill
NARS, M.A.C Pro Longwear or Urban Decay.
The best HAS to be Sugarpill.
I reach for Poison Plum most days.
The only downside is a little bit of staining (even with a base underneath!) I think it’s worth it for that colour pay off. I can’t even see a dent in the surface of the pan yet either. A little goes a long way.
My favourite thing about Poison Plum is that it’s such a chameleon depending on what you use it with. Putting it over or blending into other colours it can become a very red plummy purple, add it to blues and it can be indigo. Put it over white it’s a bright clear purple violet, over black it gives a deep dark sumptuous purple.
One of my favourite ways to wear it is with a deep turquoise blue, blending into a lime green and then a yellow (all matte) and making a matte rainbow with Poison Plum at the outer edge, blended into the crease and harsh black liquid liner. Looks awesome! I get loads f compliments when I do my make-up that way.
Sugarpill?? Is this brand available in Canada? I’d be curious to try it. I’ve had great success with most of my MUFE eyeshadows (but always looking for something better….)yes, i know the drill; My name is Helen and i’m a MU junkie…
You can order directly from Sugarpill’s website for shipment to Canada.
http://www.sugarpillshop.com/
Free shipment worldwide on orders over $75 US
Illamasqua do some amazing mattes, Obsidian is a great black.
MUFE do some great ones too.
I love (and miss) MAC’s Matte2. The only UD mattes I’ve tried are the ones from the NAKED palettes; Blackout is an amazing black. Sugarpill’s mattes are fantastic. MUFE are great, too. I have had hits and misses with NARS, but the ones they hit, they really do hit hard. LORAC! Pigmented, smooth, and blendable; I wan’t to get my hands on their PRO Palette.
Love me some mattes.
I can’t believe I left out LORAC! Yes, the Pro palette is *amazing*! It’s been out of stock pretty much since the day it came out in the one store near me that actually carries the brand (it’s a Sephora inside JCP, so stock is limited to begin with, and the free-standing store doesn’t carry LORAC). I tried picking it up last night, as I have been for weeks. I was able to swatch it, and it is sooo richly pigmented. If you have a chance to pic it up, go for it. I doubt you’ll be disappointed.
The Lorac Eye Candy palette looks pretty sweet (couldn’t resist the pun) too.
Agree with you about the Matte2 shadows. They are still available but they do seem to be paring down the # of Matte2 shadows they make. Rather than eliminating shadows from that range, they should add to it and make sure they add really good ones!
Stila are perfect for me, I love Rain!
I agree! I just bought the In the Know palette and I am in LOVE!
i haven’t used matte eyeshadow since the 90s so i’m interested in what people say here
There seems to be no one formula which is always a hit. I’ve had big successes with Nars, MUFE, Illamasqua, Sugarpill, Bobbi Brown, Laura Mercier, and UD.. but I have also had big misses from Nars and MUFE, UD and Illamasqua. Seems like sometimes matte shadows get too hard or too ‘baked’? Sugarpill stands pretty high up on the list for certain.
MAC’s Matte2
Urban Decays are mostly good.
Inglot Matte and their hybrid matte shimmer ones in the D.S. and AMC pans
Sugarpill pans
Lime Crime (palettes)
Make Up For Ever
NYC palettes the new ones with the primer in them, their matte shades are buttery!
Wet N Wild 6 pan paletts (3 shades are matte in each)
Have I missed any others I like and recommend….
I’m not sure because I don’t have anything to compare them to, but all my matte eye shadows come from NYX Single Eye Shadow line and work beautifully so I’ve never wanted to try any others. They are not chalky or ashy at all and blend wonderfully.
ArtDeco, Inglot and Macs Matte2.
I agree that the UD matte’s with the 2 naked palettes are lovely. For a drug store option with some fun color choices, I recommend Wet n Wild’s 8 pan shadow. They have a matte only palette which is released for the holiday season. While not as smooth as others, the quality is excellent for the price. I find that even the matte green works well with a primer.
ugh…please ignore my spelling errors.
The matte shades from the Lorac Pro palette are amazing! I’m really impressed with them. With their reformulated shadows, Urban Decay also has some great matte shades in their collection and you can get them as single eyeshadows rather than buying a palette.
Christine, you ask the best questions. Thank you for all you do. Lots of great picks here. Can anyone rec matte pastels that are super pigmented??
Inglot!
I was wondering the same thing! I really do need to try Inglot.
Wet n wild!
I have a couple MUFE matte eyeshadows that are lovely.
I’d say it’s a toss-up between MAC’s Matte2 formulation (I wish they would extend that line rather than diminishing it) and the Inglot matte shadows. While mattes aren’t my favourite finish, I do like them in combination with shadows with a glowier finish (pearls, frosts, etc.) – I find that the contrast in finishes can really add depth and dimension to a look. I also like some of the Too Faced matte shadows – some of the ones included in their kits are really first-rate: Sexpresso, I Do, Velvet Revolver, to name just 3.
burberry !, bobbi brown ( i have a neutral matte palette its beautifull)
sugarpill!
I think MUFE is the most pigmented for sure. Second place Probably goes to Sugarpill.
Inglot, Wet n Wild (granted, they don’t have tons of matte shades, but based on the limited selection, they’re great). I’d give honorable mention to NARS… I have two NARS duos and one is SUPER pigmented, the other not so much. The few UD mattes I’ve tried I’ve also been impressed with. And Sleek’s matte black from the au naturale palette is the most pigmented black I’ve ever come across.
Sugarpill.
Inglot. and I’ve tried almost every eyeshadow brand.
urban decay
Inglot, Illamasqua and Christian Dior!
I’ve tried the MAC Matte2 and I agree they are excellent. Writing down all of your recs girls!
I am thinking UD
Lorac Pro palette, Sugarpill, Lime Crime, and MUFE. I just bought the Lorac yesterday for Halloween and the colors were so pigmented, buttery smooth, and blendable! There wasn’t any fallout either, which is a huge plus.
Illamasqua hands down. Never had a poorly performing eyeshadow from them.
The truth is I find myself preferring eyeshadows that aren’t so strongly pigmented because there is less room for it to go on too strong and I prefer to build up the color but I do find that Coastal scents palettes are very pigmented as well as Illamasqua.
Illamasqua and MUFE! Lorac is good too.
I love Inglot and Sleek. Sleek have matte only palettes which are excellent but the mattes in their mixed palettes are excellent too, especially their recent limited edition collections (PPQ – Shangri La and Supreme). My favourite mattes only palette is Meet Matt(e) from theBalm. And I also love Urban Decay mattes.
Inglot, Illamasqua, UD, Louise Young, Paris Berlin and MakeUp Atelier!
What are your favourite shades from MakeUp Atelier? I haven’t heard much about this brand.
Inglot. By far the most pigmented and the most consistent performance of different shades. I have tried EVERY brand out there. Ive also had great experience with Bobbi Browns matte shades.
My actual answer to this would be TheBalm eyeshadows -the ones I own that are matte are so buttery and pigmented. I haven’t tried one matte shade that didn’t score high in both those categories (Ha- I can’t believe I’m making ‘buttery’ a category).
I think Inglot comes in a very close second place for me- they have a better range of matte shades, but I find the formula to be a bit dry depending on the shade.
I am really loving the Lorac pro palette matte shades
Based on the e/s I have in my collection, Handwritten and Shadowy Lady by MAC and the black e/s from the Napoleon Perdis Dramatic eye shadow quad I bought a few years ago.
Hands down MAC Matte2 !!!
But from the few Inglot shades I’ve sampled they are a very close second. Meet Matte from the Balm crazy pigmented as well.
For drugstore, I would say the L’Oreal long wear shadows and for high end i would say urban decay or inglot
Crap, I forgot to add Burberry. They made phenomenal matte shadows.
Lots of great ideas for my Christmas list!!!!
Sugarpill for me. I have not tried Inglot yet, but clearly I need to check them out.
Shu Uemura shadows!
INGLOT and Christian DIOR!!
Sugarpill
NARS makes great matte shadows. Pandora in particular is the blackest matte shadow that I’ve seen!
INGLOT! I think that all their eyeshadows are amazing but especially the matte ones.
Glancing down I don’t see that anyone’s mentioned Wet n’ Wild for drugstore. The colors in their new limited edition party palettes are pretty pigmented for drugstore. Also Milani has that nice Olympian blue. Inglot, of course. What about Nars for high end?
Sugarpill, especially the bright ones, but the black is awesome too.
wet’n wild singles and their palettes with matte shadows in them. the best matte black is their single shadow in 255c panther, PERFECT!
NARS Coconut Grove is a beautiful, matte brown and quite pigmented. I love it!
Inglot, hands down. Makeup Forever comes in at a close 2nd.
Oh, and I forgot: Bare Escentuals makes some pretty darn good matte eyeshadows, too! Demure (pastel pink) and Soul (off white/cream) are superb! They are mineral eyeshadows, but eyeshadows nonetheless! :o)
Inglot! I wrote down a list if temptalia’s must haves neutrals for the inglot colors. So amazing! It’s so rich and pigmented! What you see is what you get, color wise. And price wise, it beats MAC and Urban Decay.
Ben Nye (yes, they are powdery but awesomely pigmented and a good variety of colors); Inglot and Yaby – what can I say, I love indy brands for makeup.
Honorable Mentions: Lorac and Urban Decay.
Tarte and Bare Escentuals both have amazing matte shadows.