Parallel Universe (Left)

Parallel Universe (Left) is described as an "iridescent pink lilac." It's a brightened, light rosy pink with copper and teal flecks of sparkle and shimmer over a more metallic finish. This is a tough color to truly capture, because there are teal flecks that sparkle but seem to get lost entirely in photos. Instead, coppery-red flecks dominate in photographs but sit in the background in real life when there's a fair amount of light coming into wherever you are, while in dimmer light (say walking down a hallway during the day, so there's some natural light but little direct or flooded light), the red flecks take centerstage. The color itself isn't really a duochrome (I tried angling my arm to capture the flecks, but the base color doesn't shift). The texture is soft, lightly powdery, and I tried using it both wet and dry. NARS' eyeshadow formula is touted as wet/dry, though I don't find that true with all their finishes (e.g. mattes), but it seemed to be fine to use a damp brush with this product. It had semi-sheer pigmentation applied dry and was more sparkly with less of the base color coming through, and it was prone to fall out during application and wear. When I applied it damp, it was smoother and more pigmented, but it appeared lighter as the brighter base color was more noticeable; it was also easier to apply to the lid. I had seven hours of wear out of this shade before it creased. I can see this being a really pretty, sparkly wash of warmth over the lid for those who like one-and-done shades. bareMinerals Rose Gold (P, $14.00) is darker. MAC After Dusk (P, $16.00) is darker, less metallic. Tom Ford Beauty Enchanted #2 (LE) is less wamr-toned. Urban Decay Provocateur (LE, $18.00) is lighter.MAC Mineral Mode (LE, $21.00) is darker. MAC Rose Light (LE, $32.50) is cooler-toned. Giorgio Armani #29 (LE, $33.00) is less sparkly. Too Faced Mauvelous (LE) is similar. Get comparison swatches / compare dupes side-by-side.

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