Archived Post
Hit List: Worst Purple Eyeshadow
What’s the Worst Purple Eyeshadow?
What brand/products win this category? What makes it so awful?
Explore Temptalia
We're here to help you make better beauty purchases that you'll enjoy and love! We recommend signing up to take advantage of personalized features like tracking products you own, viewing dupes that you already have, and more!
Here are some useful resources for you:
Compare Any Two
Curious how two shades compare to each other? Type in the shades below to get instant side-by-side swatches!
70 Comments
Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!
Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).
We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!
Comments on this post are closed.
We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!
Mac’s Purple Haze.
Really? Why?
I don´t have that eyeshadow,
but I´m thinking about buying it.
If it´s bad, maybe I won´t.
The matte formula of Purple Haze is great, but the shimmer finish is very sheer!
Nars’ Daphne! I had such high hopes for this lovely shadow, it’s stunning in the pan but utterly disappointing in every other way – texture, application, blending, wear time. It is so dry and sheer that I can not get it to apply true to pan, although I’ve tried it with 4 different primers and attempted foiling it as well (that was just a hot mess). Because of the dryness it doesn’t blend well and muddies other shadows worn with it. When I did try it as a sheer wash of color on its own, it had creased and faded within the hour. Ugh. Totally turned me off ALL Nars shadows!
I agree! I was so excited for this, but just had to throw it away after a year of thinking “Maybe?” – it was so chalky, and impossible to get any color out of it!
Thank you! I was starting to worry that I was the only one who had trouble with this shade!
Daphne (Outremer is another) is designed to be used as a “layering” shade. I use it with some of NARS lighter, more shimmery shades, and it goes on beautifully. Don’t give up *entirely* on NARS shadows, some (most) are extremely buttery & well-pigmented.
Straight from the NARS website description of its matte eyeshadows (including Daphne and Outremer):
“Luminous, light-reflecting shades for shading, highlighting, and lining eyes. Highly pigmented, longwearing, crease resistant colors that can be applied sheer or layered for more dramatic effects. Color glides on smoothly, evenly and blends effortlessly.
* True color application * Can be applied dry or with a dampened brush for stronger intensity. * Multi-function use for shading, highlighting and lining the eyes * Sophisticated, lumious shades”
It does mention layering, but also 467 other things that Daphne does not fulfill! LoL
MAC’s Parfait Amour, one of the first MAC shadows I got, dusty and sheer, what’s the point?
mine’s beautiful! I think that was my first mac purchase too! I adore that shade
I’m glad you feel this way too… Mine is so hard to work with!
Years ago when I first got it- I loved it. Now that I have recently retried it and have access to lovely, pigmented purples, it is far less appealing.
It´s acctually one of my favorite eyeshadows.
I love it!
Wet’n’Wild’s purple crease shade in Dancing in the Clouds. I know it’s only a dollar (well, $3 for the trio palette), but that purple was the whole reason why I wanted the palette, and it was a total dud.
That Urban Decay Deluxe shadow in Ransom. For that price you should not suck so much!! They don’t make it anymore so obviously others felt the same LOL
I know what you mean. It goes on a lot sheerer than it should.
Yeah. I am baffled as to why it is so sheer…
Mine is completely opaque and pigmented. I think they stopped making them, though, because it seems noone buys *single* UD shadows…
I have the Wet-n-Wild 6 color palette in Lust. One of the colors is like a purple/red .. makes my eyes look irritated. In fact, I should round file that palette .. it’s chalky as well.
I think I’m going to buy less drugstore and more long wear products .. very interested in those Chanel Long-Wear Cream Eyeshadow 🙂
MAC Violet Trance. I bought it last summer at a CCO. OMG. Such a pretty colour in the pan, but so dry and hard to work with.
The MAC Palace Pedigreed shadow in the quad of the same name. I absolutely love the color and the looks that you can create from it, but that particular shadow refuses to apply correctly. It’s sheer even though I don’t think it is supposed to be and it travels no matter what primer I use. I still use it occasionally (only with the other colors in the quad. Otherwise, it’s poor pigmentation and wear seems applified) but it is the worst Purple that I own. Maybe mine was just a bad egg in the bunch…since the other 3 colors in the quad are great.
I have a different MAC quad, and while 3 are good, the dark purple, Jungle Moon (I think is the name) is *horrible*, which really sucks because it was the main reason I bought the quad.
Purple in general is just a bad color on me so I don’t have that many to begin with, but of the ones I own I’d have to say Mac Creme de Violet. The first time I saw it was in the tester at Nordstrom and it was so glossy and gold and sparkly (probably from people’s oily fingers come to think of it) and I thought “ooh that’s pretty!” Of course on me it shows up as a matte light plum, which makes me look like I have pink eye.
The purple in Sugarpill Burning Heart Palette. The reason I bought it was for the purple shadow mainly. It sucked. The other three shadows were awesome, super pigmented, blendable, fantastic! But the purple just sucked: so dry and sheer and I can’t do anything with it!
I have seen reviews online and lots of swatches, everyone seems to love it and it “looks” so pigmented on their pics, so i’m thinking maybe a got a dud?
well I must have got a dud too because mine sucked as well, I could never get it to look right, it was super dry, patchy and unblendable for me too 🙁
That surprises me, it works great for me.
NARS Marie Galante duo. SO pretty in the pan, so sheer and bleh-looking on. 🙁
If we can include cream shadows then Maybelline Color Tattoo in Painted Purple is the worst. But honestly, I have not found a purple that I have loved or even liked.
Alone, Painted Purple is bad but I’ve found it makes an excellent base to make other purple eyeshadows pop. 🙂
The purple trio by Bourjois: they’re basically baked eyeshadows, but the formula is that of Chanel Europe and their pigmentation is just terrible. They suck. These suck so badly they would swallow their own tongues if they could -.-
They go on sheer, no matter how much you pack on the brush, and they blend out to muddy mess then nothing. And they fall out like crazy! Completely turned me off Bourjois and Chanel eye products.
Bourjois’ baked eyeshadows are tricky to use; foil them or use your finger to get more intensity. With a brush, even if you pat instead of swipe, at best you’ll end up with a pretty highlighter but no opacity at all. Try their pearlescent loose eyeshadows though, those have very good colour pay off!
There are worse purples, but just for the price I’d say Nars’ Marie Galante… I got it from a friend who didn’t know how to use it and then gave it away to another friend because I didn’t know how to make it work either. Clumsy spaniards XD
I ended up using my fingers 😛 I had the same experience with Chanel quads, and that totally turned me off: I can get over the Bourjois (even though it’s like, 9GBP or something), but it’s the SAME formulation
for Chanel and you pay so much MORE and they are so BAD. The loose eyeshades are pretty awesome, though, you are totally right!
I have to agree with a previous person MAC Palace Pedigreed is the worst purple, I mean the colors are beautiful in the quad but when I try to apply on my lid is a disaster and I cant make them work:(
Worst purple? Well back in my Santa Cruz days when make up brands did not proliferate as they do now, if a girl wanted an unusual color she used unorthodox brands. Well OK Manic Panic eye shadow because I little beauty supply store sold it. There was a gorge deep purple called Deadly Nightshade. Apparently they still make it! I had o scratch off so many layers and then use saline solution to try and get a cohesive pigmented color. Oye. Also just retried Parfait Amour after years and hadn’t remembered it being so pigment weak.
It’s interesting how different “batches” of the same product can yield such different results. My Deadly Nightshade is one of the best shadows I own, of any color (in fact, Manic Panic is one of my favorite brands); it’s smooth, highly pigmented, and goes on very vibrant, even *without* primer or a base.
Oh mine is also SO aged.. If it were a wine I would be eyeing it lustfully 😉 I just think its so cool you also have this shadow, I thought I was the only one. Additionally, I’m a big supporter of Manic Panic, and bless their original names for products- I’m talking to YOU MAC and Bobbi Brown!
Santa Cruz, CA locals <3
“WHOA” dude- Pipeline sold ALL the original UD shades but nobody bought them so I scooped them all up for like $5 a pop? Lol.. I long for SC, I’m all imprinted like a baby alligator!
Hard question, since purple seems to be the problem color for most brands… They often lack pigmentation and apply unevenly. The worst I can think of right now are Nars Strada (I tried VERY hard to make it work, but I couldn’t), UD Delux shadow in Ransom (it’s a sheeeeer world), Wet n Wild Kitten (very poor color payoff).
Definitely agree with MAC Parfait Amour. I also can’t stand Creme de Violet. Beautiful in the pan but chalky and so hard to blend :/
Creme de Violet is sooo disappointing- so pretty in the pan, but what a lame performer on my eyelid … Beth in Pgh 😉
That’s so strange. Mine’snot chalky at all. It’s not the most pigmented shadow out there, but that’s one of the things I like. I use it for softer looks. Try playing around with a base, or maybe crush it and use it like a loose shadow?
The purple one from the Infallible eyeshadows by L’oreal. I use it mostly as eyeliner cuz it creases and fades no matter what!
same! I bought it thinking it was a nice deep purple but its terrible! I use it in the crease a little but ugh so mad i bough it…might return it.
Nars Strada & Daphne are by far the WORST purples I’ve ever used! Whats up w/ purples always being a disappointment?? Its always a pain to find an amazing purple eyeshadow, hair dye, etc. Does anyone know why a good purple is so hard to make in makeup?
I’ve wondered this too! So many purples are just disappointing; not pigmented at all, don’t apply well, and often the cooler shades turn gray on my skin. So sad 🙁
Bobbi Brown has a video posted on their website that has a girl with the best purple eyeshadow (imo). I inquired and was told it was their long wearing cream shadow in Black Violet. I bought and returned it three times (thinking it was a bad batch). It didn’t even come close to how it looked on the model, it was sheer and blotchy, such a disappointment(three times lol)
Honestly, several of MAC’s purples. Not that they’re *horrible*, but I think after hearing alot of hype surrounding MAC, I expected so much more, so I think the turn off was primarily due to disappointment.
My Creme de Violet seems to work nicely–but my Parfait Amour doesn’t. Mine is very hard to work with and hard to get even. So I’d have to go with Parfait Amour.
I love my Creme de Violet! I put it over a gold or bronzy base sometimes to bring the gold flecks out more. 🙂
there are SO many equally terrible ones in my book. im on an unending search for the perfect flattering purples, and 99 percent of products i try are horrendous, and the rest are just mediocre. id say the revlon quads in wild orchid and seductive are pretty atrocious. the wild orchids cream eyeshadow quad is just streaky and greasy and GROSS. and the colorstay quad in seductive is chunky, streaky, sheer, they go muddy. absolutely terrible. those and mac beauty marked- which is literally the most diappointing subpar eyeshadow i have ever used :/
Hey, have you tried anything by theBalm? A bunch of their products are over-hyped and gimmicky, but I find that their single eyeshadows are fantastic. I have Just This Once Jamie and Curvy Cami, and both are fantastic purples IMO.
I know it’s a European brands and as I know it can’t be bought in America, but Catrice’s mono eyeshadow in Where’s my Cadi-Lilac? (which is weird, because usually, Catrice shadows are nice)… this is a beautiful light lilac in the pan, but it is so hard on the texture… chalky and block-ish. Ugh. Not smooth, rather rough. And the color isn’t that pigmented, either.
Easy! MAC Violet Trance. So beautiful in the pan, but for the life of me, cannot get it to work. If I can pack enough on, it does not blend well, and goes all patchy.
The Bare Escentuals Wine Country Trio. Gorgeous in the jars, get them on my eyes and I look as if someone took me out back and beat the stuffing out of me. I ended up round filing them.
A lot of people love it, but I HATE Urban Decay Asphyxia. Makes me look bruised and it goes on very sheer. There isn’t anything wrong with the texture, though. Some people on MUA reviews said that they liked the sheer aspect, so *shrug* :/
Funny, I first bought UD Aspyxia when they had the loose pigments. In loose form its closer to fushia with a lavender sheen. But when I bought it as a single in the pan. I had to return it. Its terrible.
Mac purple haze. I got that on my first Mac order and it was so bad it turned me away from Mac for about a year before I finally decided to give them another chance. no matter what I do with this eyeshadow, it is patchy and awful.
completely agree
Parfait Amour by MAC. What a godawful, unpigmented, difficult, chalky, fading shade to work with. MISERABLE.
MAC Purple Haze. No contest.
MAC Parfait Amour. Also worth mentioning, even though it’s super inexpensive is Wet n Wild Kitten.
HANDS DOWN, Benefit Velvet Eyeshadow in fancy Pansy. I love Benefit, but this is the worst high end purple shadow in the world. Its powdery, and it has NO pigmentation or long lasting power and Im FAIR. This is the only high end product that I threw in the trash because I couldnt return it. I have a maybelline purple shadow thats 100 times more pigmented than this benefit.
Definitely MAC’s Purple Haze. >_< It looks so pretty in the pan but it performs badly. 🙁
I absolutley despised NARS’ Marie Galante. I found it to be dry, gritty and its colour payoff was lousy at best. Don’t get me wrong, the duo was pretty in the pan, but that was about it.
Actually I have never used a bad purple eyeshadow. I use Nyx eyeshadow base in Oyster and the Nyx palette in Versus that comes with ten different shades and they all work well and are easy to blend, and aren’t patchy or chalky as far as I can tell. Also they last all day. I do however have a Lancome shadow that looks similar to UD’s asphyxia that when swatched is rather sheer. I haven’t used it on my eyes yet so I can’t really give an opinion on wear time.
manhattan
Purple Haze, without a doubt!!! Was a totally unfriendly product. The best way to describe that it had nothing going for it, that a makeup loves 🙁 Chalky, dusty like, can’t see it, once you try using a brush to blend it after you apply. Just all around negativity. Honestly, had nothing going for it!!!
That Urban Decay Rockstar pigment that sat on their clearance site for nearly a year.
I adore that one- what’s problems did you have with it?