Urban Decay Stargazer Moondust Eyeshadow Review, Photos, Swatches

Christine — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 22:13:50 +0000

Urban Decay Stargazer Moondust Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Stargazer Moondust Eyeshadow ($20.00 for 0.05 oz.) is described as a “metallic lime-gold with gold 3-D sparkle.” It’s a green-tinged gold with brownish undertones and a sparkling, metallic finish. Clinique Whopping Willow is darker, greener. Tarina Tarantino Dandy Lion is much greener and darker. MAC Sumptuous Olive is less metallic. Inglot #433 is less green, darker. MAC Old Gold is warmer, less green.

I know the question you’re dying to ask, so let’s just get it out of the way: there’s fall out. And yes, there’s fall out not just during application but while it’s worn–and it is less than Urban Decay’s micro-glitter powder eyeshadows. Is the effect dynamite? Oh, it’s gorgeous. It’s a glittering, sparkling affair that is so, so pretty as the light catches different parts of the lid. It’s an effect that shows itself best in person (with movement) as the shimmer shifts like glimmering water. The fall out is noticeable enough that it’s a drawback; with three on at once, it’s noticeable, but with just one shade, it happens but is not quite as glaring. As someone who has little tolerance for fall out, I’d occasionally wear these and deal with it because the effect really is (to me) stunning–but that doesn’t excuse it.

Stargazer has good color payoff whether applied dry or wet, though it is much smoother and metallic in finish when applied with a damp brush. It applied well to the lid, and the fall out during application was noticeable but not as much as you’d expect. The real downside is that there is perpetual fall out throughout the time you wear it. You can clean-up fall out that occurs after you’ve applied your eyeshadow, before you leave, but a few hours later? Not so practical. Because the sparkle in this is rather fine, it’s not nearly as noticeable as the micro-glitter found in Urban Decay’s powder eyeshadows. It’s more visible as the particles catch the light. It didn’t crease or fade on me during the eight hours I wore it, and though there was fall out, the color itself didn’t look patchy or as if anything were missing.

Three years ago, Urban Decay released Stardust Eyeshadow, and Moondust feels a lot like them. It has the same wet-but-not texture that feels rather different from powder eyeshadows (and not like a cream, as it is very thin and feels almost wet). I don’t think these are quite like products such as Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Intense or L’Oreal Infallibles, which have a more powdery texture and feel and are not quite as sparkly. MAC’s Pressed Pigments are somewhat similar, but the sparkle/glitter is larger, chunkier. The texture feels different, and the sparkle content is much, much higher. Moondusts have a finer sparkle/shimmer compared to the Stardusts, as there’s not a bit of grit with them. Moondust was also much more blendable and easier to apply overall.