93 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.
Shealyn Avatar

the body shop, really? i like their shadows! they are expensive, but there’s no proper makeup stores around here, and the body shop has a range of colours and textures to play with.

Candee Sparks Avatar

The Body Shop eye shadows are actually really pigmented and really great, however the size of the eye shadows and the price isn’t too appealing. The best thing (in my opinion) that they offer for eye color are their eye shimmers which are almost like an eyeshadow finish and can give you really amazing color combination’s.

cloudburst Avatar

Maybelline & Elizabeth Arden – the first has a weird almost sticky texture that makes it next to impossible to apply & the second is dusty & poorly pigmented.

Macaddict Avatar

Totally agree!!! I was very disappointed becuz I was told that Sephota m/u was really up there for quality. Also Elizabeth Arden, Lancome, Christian Dior (I know some ppl will totally disagree with me since many Temptalia readers – including Temptalia herself – love the quints). I think that they are way too sheer and very little pigmented for the price tag! I purchased 3 quints and never used them. 2 are in the garbage & 1 on “death row”. Also Guerlain and AVON. I haven’t bought drugstore m/u in ages but I know that these brands too are probably the pits.

Lena Avatar

Max Factor should just give it up on the e/s. It looks pretty in the clear compact. Trying to get that color is like trying to get e/s off of cardboard paper.

Claudia M. Avatar

It’s been a long time since I even tried a drugstore eyeshadow but I’ll go with Maybelline and Cover Girl. They might look pretty decent in the compact, but they’re so chalky and do not look anything like the compact once applied.
Too Faced and Clinique are two others that just aren’t that pigmented in my opinion. Doesn’t stop me from buying TF’s quickie chronicles, though =P Sephora brand sucks too, from the pan to the eyelid is a big old different shade and whatever shimmer might be there is gone.
I have one Rimmel eyeshadow, this deep, dark, slightly metallic green that I really like and always got compliments on.

Kelsey Avatar

covergirl.
you need to PACK it on to get any colour payoff.
🙁
maybelline’s lighter, shimmery shades are good, but other than that…
rimmel is the best drugstore brand, IMO

charlene Avatar

the sephora brand is awful lol…i have had luck with one maybelline trio…the one with the light gold, bronze and copper colours…but other than that maybelline has frustrated me as well…not much experience with others but sometimes i cant be bothered with revlon either.

megan Avatar

Maybelline and almay….neither one of them have any pigmentation at all. I tired them both when I first got into makeup then I discovered MAC and I realized what I was missing out on:P

Rio Avatar

Probably Rimmel. I have to cake it on to get any color. People love Make Up Forever, but it comes right off for me. I guess it’s just my skin type.

Macaddict Avatar

Oh! A few weeks ago, I bought my 1st (and last) Too Faced e/s quads (the very LE Smurfettes collection, yeah, I know… 🙁 ). Anyhow, horrible, horrible, horrible!! The colors look nice in the pan, but too much glitter and it just flakes off. Way too powdery. And to think that I paid almost $50 for this piece of $#@^&*!!!

Brittany Avatar

Hi i was just wondering if you ladies are referring to any sephora make up? like urban decay etc.. or if there is actually just a plain sephora brand… because i love sephora makeup…

i’ve never had any makeup to horrible, i own some covergirl that shows up fantastic and its shimmery to… . i would have to think about it

mary kate and ashley hahaha. but i usually try to buy decent makeup! so i haven’t tried the horrible stuff yet heh..

( i hate the makeup that comes in the huge pallets from wal mart etc, you know the christmas gifts you get when they dont know what to get you)

Marisol Avatar

I’m not a big fan of Estee Lauder. I bought a palet of 4 colors, and it wasn’t cheap. I found the pigment horrible, and powdery. I have to really rub my brush on the color to try and pick up anything. Very disappointed!

Anitacska Avatar

I agree on Rimmel, it’s pretty crap. I don’t own any Maybelline e/s, and maybe one or two Max Factor (can’t remember, haven’t used in ages). I have to say that for the price, the Body Shop shimmer cubes aren’t that pigmented at all, palette no 15 (the one with the blue, green, yellow and red colours) looks amazing in the pack, but looks nothing on my eyes. Just a bit of a wash of colour.

I think one of the best (if not best) drugstore e/s are by 17 (Boots’s own brand), they have really good texture and lovely colours. 🙂

Macaddict Avatar

Hey Anitacska!
You might want to try GOSH make up line! VEEERRYY colorful and pigmented! Very reasonable prices too! Check it out next time you go to a drugstore’s beauty department.

evangelia Avatar

Clinique eye shadow is HORRIBLE…and it’s too bad, because I have a duo that is so pretty! It’s called Strawberry Fudge and if it were MAC, it’d be awesome!

Lingping Avatar

Clinique’s Strawberry Fudge is one of my all time favorites 🙂 I love it for its ability to give both shape and depth and a subtle wash of shimmer and color 🙂

Renata Avatar

CoverGirl and Maybelline. They are chalky and have no color payoff, no matter how much you pack on. Total crap.

I have a few Clinique eyeshadows as well, the texture is fine, but they’re not that pigmented.
I just rely on MAC now!

Brittney Avatar

Max Factor! Man I hope they’re reading this (maybe they’ll take the hint!) that stuff is chalky beyond belief! It breaks my heart to know that Pat McGrath was the consultant for the shadows :-/ I guess they didn’t consult her on the formula!

Allison Avatar

too faced has terrible payoff! i have the glamour to go pallette and the eye shadows hardly show up and definitely don’t stay no matter what base i use or how i try to pack on the color. too bad because their stuff is sooo cute! but i would choose a drugstore brand like l’oreal hip over too faced eyeshadows.

Lingping Avatar

I was disappointed with my Too Faced shadows at first, but found out that applying them with a damp brush makes a world of difference. It’s definitely still not at the top of my list, though.

JennBee Avatar

I can’t believe people are saying ULTA is the worst when it’s one of the best for the price!

CG and Maybelline are definitely down there… they have other good products, but better shadows would make them so much more money.

Shanna Avatar

Avon and NYC.. they were the two brands my mom would buy me to play with when I was younger. and recently tried both again as an adult and there its chalky and no pigmentation at all

Courtney Avatar

I haaate Maybelline eyeshadows. The Mary Kay shadows I have aren’t always particulary pigmented either.

Don’t mind Covergirl so much. I’ve got a couple of those that I find work just fine.

Moon Avatar

I remember trying one of those NYX trios.

Yes, you get color but its way chalky.
Not recommended.
It made me afraid of drugstore brand eyeshadows.

Tee Avatar

I don’t like Maybelline. I always have tried to avoid Covergirl eyeshadows and the Max Factor ones too. The worst brand in my opinion is Marwins. I have a few of their trios and one of their pigments. The pigment is VERY cakey and there is hardly any color pay-off from the trios.

Candee Sparks Avatar

I basically stay away from anything having to do with drug store cosmetics because I don’t trust them. I really don’t have the money to afford MAC as often as most but I’d rather use their heavenly eyeshadows then trying to even use drug store eye shadows. I tried a few of those HIP eye shadows…worse story of my LIFE.

Kate Avatar

Hmmm… that was actually the one drugstore e/s that worked for me. I have it in Flare, and really liked both the colors themselves and the pigmentation. What didn’t work for you Candee?

Candee Sparks Avatar

I tried a tan brown and a really dark blue one, I can’t remember the name of it but the pigmentation was pretty decent but it was just soo sloppy to use for me really. I still have it and use the brown that comes with it if I’m in a hurry but they’re just not for me.

Christy Avatar

Maybelline, Cover Girl and Revlon are a chalky icky mess. I’ve tried to help it with some MAC Paint pots but that still doesn’t help. Actually, I like Too Faced Eyeshadows, especially when they come with palettes with blush and lip gloss. Perfect for travel!

ice Avatar

I haven’t tried many e/s brands but i would say that from what I have: Sephora Blockbuster palette, Revlon palette(forgot the name) and MAC e/s, Sephora is the worst. Not really bad, but some of the e/s aren’t very pigmented. I never had any problem with the glitters though. But I do like the lip products included in that palette.

pj Avatar

Avon. The ones I have tried were very powdery, had no pigmentation, and had lots of fall out.

I also bought the Bobbi Brown Shimmering Nudes Palette and I was so disappointed! I expected so much better from Bobbi Brown

muffingrl Avatar

omg, AVON mineralized eyeshadows SUCK. they have the consistency of flour and blends right off your skin, its like taking colored flour and rubbing it all over your eyelids. And it sinks into your fine lines too. i swatched a lilac color on my hand, and it looked like i had sparkly lilac veining all over my hand. GROSS.

shangrila Avatar

im gonna have to chime in on the max factor shadows. they just didnt work for me. avon shadows dont work for me either. i loooove clinique shadows, though! their black (midnight) shadow is awesome!

Ju Avatar

Chanel, their quads. They are no pigmentation at all ! Horribles !

And I think the Mac loose their qualities (all products) since their repurchase by Est

Amanda Avatar

I LOVE Elizabeth Arden eyeshadows! I have been using them forever. Don’t know which one you tried and didn’t like. Have you tried the new duos?

carriespooner Avatar

Re: Sephora Brand. I bought the Giraffe Palette and it’s gorgeous. Good pigmentation. I’m not saying it’s as good as Mac but I really liked it alot. Perhaps the regular Sephora shadows are less pigmented. I never was interested in trying them. They look chalky.

Drugstore: Ugh.. I gave that up years ago but if I had to mention..
Covergirl, Max Factor, Maybelline.

I second Clinique: No pigment. Good for moms to buy teens so they don’t come out looking whorish.

BE: I might be unpopular for this, but I don’t like their shadows at all. They fade fast and don’t give me the pigment I want. Everytime I see my mom, she’s creased and remnants of Queen Tiffany are left on her lids. I bought her some primer and can’t confirm that she’s using it but I think it’s just too pale. I want to see my colors!

Julie Avatar

Rimmel, Maybelline, Max Factor. Also Este Lauder, no color payoff, too powdery and have same effect as pure air… useless unless you are the invisible woman LOL

Loveeeee MAC Avatar

i would say hard candy not even sure they still sell cosmetics got a really pretty pink color and it is gross
there is NOOOOOOO color at all
and clinique is not colorful enough
it made my eyes puffy and redd ickkkkk :p

Cassykins Avatar

Of course those Color Works/no-name pallets of like 60 shadows are the worst. Surprisingly when I took my make up artistry course, that’s what they gave us. I was pissed. At least the brushes they gave us were nice-ish, but that is not what one should be using when training to possibly be a professional. My second worst would be Rimmel. I hate that brand in general.

zoe7777 Avatar

hm i would have to say #1 would be maybelline, it is complete crap in every way. #2 would be fyinnae’s pigments. i have had so many problems with them its unreal. still trying to make them work because the colors are so beautiful and unique, but until then, they are still on my $h*t list!

Crystal Avatar

not a fan of estee lauder eyeshadows- they’re okay but quite sheer and just useless considering the price! Whats the best do you guys reckon?

Amber Avatar

The Sephora brand eyeshadows are just awful. The matte shadows are that bad, but if you try the shimmer/glitter shadows you’ll end up with no color on your lids but tons of glitter all over the rest of your face. Also can’t stand Covergirl.

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!